New Business Guy
by gjficfan
Summary: Bella Swan surprises herself by loving her new job at a small technology firm, especially when she makes an ally in the New Business Director, Emmett McCarty. Will they succeed in keeping their burgeoning friendship on a strictly professional level? Rated M for language and situations. Non-canon pairing: B/Em. AH, AU, OOC. BPOV.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**1. Hi to all! I wrote this story as a one-shot for the 'Fandom Fights Hurricane Sandy' compilation; many thanks to all who donated. I've decided to post and expand _New Business Guy_ here. **

**2. **_**New Business Guy**_** is completely new and unrelated to my **_**Wednesday Dinner**_** stories. **

**3. I've broken the one-shot from the compilation into 3 chapters as it's quite long. New material will begin with Chapter 4. **

**4. Beta Thanks: Many thanks to emmettsmate for taking the time to beta the one-shot! I appreciate your thoughts, encouragement, and support ;0)**

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 1**

**BPOV**

_**Professional Writer wanted. Must be experienced, tough, and tenacious.**_

When I answered that inconsequential, cryptic little ad on Craigslist two weeks ago, I never thought I'd actually receive a reply. I certainly didn't think I'd receive one the next day.

But three interviews later, I stood in front of my full-length mirror examining my outfit for work. Caius Cullen, Chief Executive Officer of Aro Technology Solutions, decided that I was indeed the professional he sought as the new writer for his firm. I started today.

I brushed my long hair one final time, loving the way the natural red undertones shone through the brown under the light. I decided to add a little makeup: my bright brown eyes and pouty lips had always been among my best features, so why not highlight them on my first day?

"Wow, lipstick and eyeliner," Angie said. "You must really want to impress these people."

"Ha ha," I said as she laughed. "Tell the truth. Is this okay?"

She stood back and carefully perused me from head to toe.

"You look great," she said. "But I still can't get used to these." She brazenly squeezed my breasts, causing us both to fall over each other laughing.

Still chuckling, I slapped her hands. "Don't hate," I said. "Now that I'm pushing 30, my Granny Swan genes kicked in. All tits, no ass."

Again, she cackled. "You look really good. We were like twigs when we were kids. Too skinny."

That was definitely true. Angela and I had been friends since childhood, and while we weren't exactly overweight now, we'd both picked up a few pounds over the years. Hers appeared evenly distributed over her tall frame, but mine settled in my breasts and stomach, just like my grandmother.

Still, I liked my appearance and felt very comfortable in my skin. I wouldn't call myself perfect by any stretch, but overall, I enjoyed being me.

"I'm just glad you're here," Angie said as she continued to stare at me. "I can't thank you enough for doing this."

"No problem," I replied. "Nothing much was happening for me in Phoenix anyway. It was time for a change."

"I couldn't afford this place without Eric, and I really didn't want to move," she said.

"I think it's a great situation," I said. "And he'll probably finish sooner than you think."

Angie and her boyfriend, Eric, had been dating since high school; they'd been together for nearly 10 years. A month ago, she asked me if I would consider moving to Seattle to live with her. Eric wanted to pursue a PhD at Duke University in North Carolina, completely across the country from their lives in Seattle. Angie asked if I'd stay until he completed his studies. It hadn't taken much for me to pack my bags and move out of my mother's home in Phoenix.

"Then," I continued, "when Eric comes back, I'll probably get a condo or townhouse or something for me and the 57 cats I'll have."

"You're insane," she said, chuckling. "You better get going. I don't want you to be late on your first day. Good luck."

"Thank you, Miss Weber," I said in a sing-songy voice like one of the first-graders in her class would use.

"Ugh. Don't remind me," she said as she nudged me down the hall. "I've still got a few weeks of freedom left before school starts again. Go."

With a final look in the mirror, I grabbed my purse and sweater and headed for the tenth floor of the sleek office building where I'd be earning my living for the foreseeable future.

* * *

I followed the Human Resources Director, Jasper Whitlock, down the hall and through the lobby and reception area. He stopped outside of the first office we reached; its door and outer wall were made entirely of floor-to-ceiling framed glass panels.

"Okay. It's starting to freak me out that I haven't seen any other people yet," I said.

"Don't worry," Jasper said with a grin. "They're here. Enjoy the silence while you can."

When I'd spoken with Jasper and Caius for my interviews, they'd both been explicit in their instructions for what I should do if I encountered any employees in my visits: I was to say that I'd come to _meet_ with Jasper and Caius. Under no circumstances was I to use the word_ interview_. Even today, they told me not to come until 9:45, even though my workday would start at 8:30 in the future. I was told to text Jasper when I arrived, which I did. He came down to the building lobby to meet me, then ushered me upstairs and straight to his office.

"Caius is meeting with them right now. We're going down there soon, but he wanted you set up in your office first."

My mouth actually fell open when he pulled out a small metal plate that read _Bella Swan_ and slid it into a frame to the right of the door. This was my office. _Holy shit!_

"Sorry this is kind of out in the open, and so near the lobby, but this is where Caius wants you." He took out a key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. I tentatively stepped inside.

"This is really mine?" I asked, still in a state of disbelief.

"It is. This is your door key, obviously," Jasper said as he handed it to me. "There should be keys to the desk and file cabinet in the drawers."

"Um, I actually can't believe this."

He laughed. "Believe it. It's all yours. Because you report to Caius, you'll be handling sensitive information and he wants you to have _some_ privacy."

At this point, I basically tuned him out so that I could take in my surroundings. The modern furnishings in _my _office looked brand new. I had two computers, a desktop and a laptop, in addition to a massive desk. At the far end of the space, a large bookcase and a tall file cabinet bookended a round table with two chairs. I tried not to stare out of the glass back wall which offered a distracting, though amazing, view of downtown Seattle.

"This job is starting to feel too good to be true," I said as I sank into my ridiculously comfortable ergonomic desk chair. I bit my lip to keep from moaning.

"Trust me, you might be singing a different tune once you meet everyone," Jasper replied.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're warning me?" I asked with a smirk.

"Cuz I am," he said as he chuckled. "We have some... personalities... around here."

"Is that why you and Caius have been hiding me?"

"Something like that," he replied before he checked his cell phone. "We better get down to the conference room."

Instead of being nervous or wary like I probably should have been, I felt intrigued at the prospect of meeting my coworkers. I was beyond excited about this job as outlined by Caius, and I was not going to let anyone stand in the way of my success. I'd been thrilled to land a job so soon after my arrival in Seattle. I could walk here from the apartment I shared with Angie if I wanted to; it would be a long walk, but a little exercise wouldn't kill me. I loved to write, and I was making almost double what I earned at my job as office manager in Phoenix. I was_ not _giving up this job without a fight, no matter what kind of asshats Jasper and Caius were about to unleash on me.

"After the meeting, we'll do all your paperwork and get you logged in to the system," Jasper said as we walked down the hall.

"Sounds good."

"We interviewed a few other people," he said. "You seemed like the best fit by far. Not everyone can handle it here, but Caius and I think you'll do great."

I didn't have time to really think through his comment because we reached our destination: a large meeting room where what looked to be about 50 people sat in several rows of chairs. Most of the unhappy looking group appeared about my age or a little older, late 20s to early 30s.

"We're going to start operating like a real business around here, whether you like it or not," Caius was saying to my assembled coworkers.

I smiled as I watched him. He appeared as dapper as each of the other times I'd met him, looking every part the successful business man from his perfectly tailored gray suit to the giant watch on his wrist. He wore his white hair cropped, allowing the focus to rest on his chiseled face where stylish glasses framed his sharp brown eyes. The man oozed confidence from every pore; I found him quite attractive.

I didn't know whether I should just go in, but Jasper didn't, so I just stayed with him right outside of the door. That didn't stop most everyone inside from turning and gawking at me, whispering and pointing in some cases. Caius turned when they all did; he smiled and motioned for me to come into the room.

"You know what they say," Jasper whispered. "Never let 'em see ya sweat."

I smiled at him, took a deep breath, and strode into the room to stand next to Caius.

"Welcome, Bella," he said.

"Glad to be here, Caius," I replied as he turned to the group.

"Everyone, this is Bella Swan, our newest associate."

"Hello," I said as I gave a little wave. I bit the inside of my lip to keep from smirking at their stunned faces. Expressions varied from annoyed to confused to downright pissed.

"Bella's our new writer, and she'll be reporting directly to me," Caius said.

"A writer?" yelled a very attractive man sitting near the front. "To write what?"

So far, of everyone here, he looked the most put out by my presence. Though I found him too pretty for my tastes, I couldn't deny that he was gorgeous, with bronze-colored hair and dreamy green eyes. However, I could already tell that he knew exactly how attractive he was.

"Careful, Edward," said Caius in a sharp tone that instantly put pretty boy back in his place.

A blonde sitting next to him seemed almost as annoyed, but she was currently too preoccupied with visibly judging my outfit to voice her disdain like _Edward_ did. A more sensitive person than me might have quailed under the glare of her cold blue eyes, but I held my ground and stared back at her with confidence. I did not give one shit whatsoever whether she found my belted gray dress, thin black sweater, and black wedges acceptable. I looked professional, especially considering that most of my everyday wardrobe consisted of casual attire.

"As I said earlier, we've grown too fast," Caius added. "We have more business than we can currently handle."

"Can you ever have too much business?" asked a guy sitting right in front of me. He smirked a little as he stared at Caius, who without a doubt was his father. He was the image of Caius, only younger and blond.

Caius chuckled. "You can if you're not properly staffed," he said. "And that's where we are right now. You know that, Carlisle."

"And how is a _writer _supposed to help us?" asked the blonde next to Edward. Again, she openly glared at me. I wanted to roll my eyes_ so_ badly in reply but I managed to control myself.

"Rose, I'd watch that tone if I were you," Caius replied sharply.

Like Edward, she seemed chastened by his words; they clearly respected Caius whether they agreed with him or not.

"We can't improve until we take a closer look at what we're doing," Caius said. "That's where Bella comes in. Basically, she's going to document our entire business process."

Several people whispered to each other.

"We obviously need more help," Caius said. "I've tried to work with all of you to figure out why and where, but I'm constantly met with resistance. For whatever reasons, you won't be honest with me or Jasper. I decided that a fresh pair of eyes was the best way to figure out what the hell is really going on around here."

There were many more whispers around the room now, much louder than before.

"That's enough," Caius shouted over the din. Instantly, the room fell silent.

"Over the course of the next two weeks, starting tomorrow," Caius said, "Bella will be meeting with each and every ATS employee, including me. She'll be documenting all of our duties and responsibilities in great detail. Then, when she's finished, I'll use her assessments to figure out if we really need more people, or if we can shift things around. Some of you are doing far too much, while others aren't doing nearly enough."

Some people gasped and rolled their eyes when he said that last part. Again, I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

"Alice will make a schedule this afternoon," Caius said.

He turned and looked toward a tiny woman with short dark hair and large gray eyes. She radiated energy as she smiled at me; it looked like it pained her to sit still.

"We _will _meet with Bella, and we _will_ answer her questions," Caius added, looking around the room sternly. "Do I make myself clear?"

I heard many mumbled "Yes" and "Yes, sirs" around the room. I couldn't help but feel a little powerful; after all, he basically brought me in here to get tough on their asses. I couldn't wait to begin.

"Bella has experience as a professional writer," Caius said in a much softer tone as he looked at me. "She did something very similar to what I want in her previous job. Her boss raved about the work that she did for them, and I have every confidence that she'll do the same for us."

I thought that was a bit of an exaggeration, but Caius spoke the truth to some extent. Back in Phoenix, since college, I'd worked at a funeral home owned by my neighbor. My title had been office manager, but as the youngest person on staff by far, I'd worn many hats, particularly when it came to anything having to do with computers and technology.

I created the website they still used, and I wrote ever word of content for it. I'd also put together a procedure manual for the owner's daughter when she took over a few years ago; in it, I wrote detailed job descriptions and outlines of the home's operations. And honestly, having all that stuff in writing had helped immensely. Clearly, those were the selling points for Caius in hiring me.

"I think bringing Bella onboard can only help," said a pleasant-seeming woman sitting next to Carlisle. She had wavy light-brown hair and stunning hazel eyes. "Is her position just temporary, until she writes up her assessments?"

"Excellent question, Esme," said Caius with a smile. "The writer position is permanent. The assessments will be Bella's first project."

No one was happier to hear this than me. Caius continued.

"In the future, I'd like to have her attend some of the tech conferences and sit in on some client meetings to write up summaries from those as well. Eventually, I want her to write better copy for our website and marketing materials. And soon, I want the chiefs to start writing weekly reports. You'll send them to Bella, and she'll put them into a simple document for me."

I didn't know who the "chiefs" were, but Edward and Rose had to be two of them because both of their mouths dropped open and they looked at each other with barely contained fury.

"So, those are just some of my plans for Bella, if you all don't run her off first."

I laughed, as did many other people in the room.

"Don't worry," I said. "I'm excited to be here, and I don't have plans on leaving anytime soon."

Someone snorted derisively and I heard more whispering.

"I'll remember you said that," Caius replied, causing much more laughter.

"I know Emmett has to leave," he said, "so we'll start the introductions with him." He turned to the door where an absolute mountain of a man filled the frame; he must have come in after I'd walked inside. He was easily 6'3" or 6'4", with a muscular, athletic build. Because my dad, Charlie, and my stepdad, Phil, were both sports nuts, I knew a thing or two about football, and this guy could easily fit right in on any team. He marched confidently toward me with his hand outstretched.

"Hey. I'm Emmett McCarty, New Business Director."

"Hi. Bella Swan," I replied as I shook his large, warm hand. "Nice to meet you."

For the first time in my life, I might have swooned a little. I found Mr. New Business Guy _rather _good-looking. His short dark hair was slightly curly and provided a stark contrast to his twinkling aqua-blue eyes. He wore a light gray suit with a black tie, and expensive-looking leather shoes on his gigantic feet. I never really had a thing for guys in suits before, but maybe that was because I never knew men who wore suits on a regular basis back home.

And I'd certainly never met _any _man who looked like this.

"Alice," he said, "I just sent you some changes to my schedule, so just let me know when it's my turn to meet with Bella. Edward, I'll call you this afternoon."

"Good luck, Emmett," Caius said warmly. "Not that you need it."

"I don't," he replied, "but Bella might."

Many people in the room laughed yet again. With a wink and smile at me, Emmett left and jogged down the hall toward the elevator. On top of the rest of his entire... _package_, dude had the deepest dimples I'd ever seen. Yeah, I was definitely swooning.

"Emmett travels quite a bit," Caius said. "Client meetings and all. He's very good at his job. He brings in plenty of new clients for Edward, our Chief Sales Officer."

He pointed to the attitudinal GQ guy.

"Welcome, Bella," he said in a syrupy sweet tone. "Edward Masen."

"Thanks, Edward," I replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Edward keeps the money coming in," Caius said with a big grin.

They all laughed like this was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. I'd only just arrived, but having common sense, I knew that Emmett needed to bring in new clients first, before any money could come in, but Edward seemed more than happy to accept all the credit and praise for the whole process. I would try to keep an open mind, but my first impression of Edward was not a good one.

"Welcome, Bella," said the woman next to Carlisle. "I'm Esme Platt, Chief Operating Officer."

"Nice to meet you, Esme," I replied. Caius's son was next.

"I'm Carlisle Cullen," he said. "Chief Finance Officer."

"Hi," I replied. "There's so many chiefs around here."

Everyone laughed, some a little too loudly, but I was serious. If all the people in this company could fit in this one room, then why did they need so many Chief of This and Chief of Thats?

"There's one more," Caius said, pointing toward the icy blonde. "Rosalie Hale, Chief Information Officer." She stood and walked toward me.

"Welcome, Bella," she said tightly.

"Nice to meet you," I replied. "Do you prefer Rosalie or Rose?" I asked, recalling how Caius referred to her earlier.

She narrowed her eyes at me a bit before she glanced at Caius and hitched a fake smile on her face. "Rose is fine," she said as she returned to her seat. I had no idea what her problem was, but I knew in time I'd find out whether I wanted to or not.

"Okay, we're running a little long here," Caius said with a clap of his hands. "I think each group should come up and meet Bella, then you can get back to work. Let's start with I.T."

Caius introduced me to the remaining staff one by one; some seemed pleased to meet me while others looked like they wanted me to catch a disease. I learned that Carlisle was indeed Caius's son. Rose and Edward were Caius's niece and nephew; they were cousins, not brother and sister. Esme had been friends with Carlisle since childhood. No wonder they all had such important titles; they were Caius's family.

When all the introductions had been made and people began filtering back to their departments, I had a clearer understanding of the company's structure.

Rose led the most important unit here by nature of the company: the information technology, or I.T., group. While I was pleased to see so many women in her unit, I was not amused by how catty some of them already seemed to be. It was like high school back in Phoenix all over again.

Edward's sales team was probably next on the pecking order. They were a confident bunch, to say the least.

Carlisle headed up finance and accounting. His group seemed the most like a team: unified and professional.

Esme's operations unit was sort of the umbrella over everything else: administration, human resources, marketing, and legal. They were hands down the friendliest group.

I could absolutely see why Jasper had warned me, and why Caius had kept my hiring a secret. Most of my colleagues seemed threatened by the mere sight of me. I could only imagine what they would have done to keep me from getting hired if they'd known Caius's intentions in the first place.

When the last person left, Caius closed the door and motioned for me to sit down. Jasper sat beside me.

"Your thoughts?" Caius asked, barely able to keep from laughing.

"That's quite a group of... _special... _people," I said.

He looked at Jasper and the two of them clutched their stomachs as they laughed.

"I hope you weren't overwhelmed by meeting everyone all at once like that," Caius said when he settled down.

"It was the best way," Jasper said.

"I didn't want to put the question of hiring you up to a committee, or field a bunch of comments from the chiefs," Caius said.

I looked out into the hallway where the four chiefs - Edward, Rose, Carlisle, and Esme - stood together whispering furiously.

"Don't worry about me," I said. "I can handle whatever they throw at me."

"Interesting choice of words," Jasper said. "They just might throw something."

We laughed together a little more until a thought occurred to me.

"So there's no customer service team?" I asked.

Jasper shook his head and Caius sighed.

"Right now, the sales and I.T. reps are assigned to specific clients," he said. "They handle all questions and concerns for those clients."

"The sales and I.T. people I just met?" I asked incredulously.

"Exactly," Jasper said as he and Caius laughed.

"Okay," I replied, not wanting to verbalize what I was really thinking. I could guess how the arrogant sales and I.T. reps "handled" customer concerns and complaints.

"You just got here, and you see why I needed someone like you," Caius said. "I want your honest opinions and recommendations. I was serious about starting the meetings tomorrow, so today, I'd like you to come up with the questions you want to ask."

"I have all the current job descriptions," Jasper said. "I'll give them to you when we get done here."

"And here I thought you'd cut me some slack on my first day," I said with a grin.

"Sorry," Caius said, smiling broadly. "Around here, we hit the ground running. Jasper's going to give you a tour now, then I'd like to meet with you at 1:30 after you have lunch."

"Sounds good," I said. "Thank you, Caius."

Having essentially been dismissed, Jasper and I stepped outside of the room. The chiefs immediately stopped whispering and stared at me. I thought it best that I say something.

"I look forward to meeting with each one of you," I said. "I'm only here to help."

They seemed stunned that I dared voice an opinion, so I merely turned and followed Jasper as they filed back into the conference room to meet with Caius.

"Quit now or forever hold your peace," Jasper said.

"Nope. You're stuck with me," I replied, chuckling.

"Bella, I think you'll do just fine around here," he said as we walked into a very large kitchen and break room with food and drink machines lining the walls.

"Just fine."

* * *

By the end of my first week, I understood exactly why Caius had used the words "tough" and "tenacious" in that Craigslist ad. My coworkers ran the emotional gamut from paranoid, anxious, and sensitive to self-important, obnoxious, and obstinate. Not one person felt secure in his or her job and most of them remained suspicious of me. Wheedling information from them required careful listening, pointed questions, a quick wit, and, all too often, a sharp tongue.

I hadn't completed all of the meetings yet, but the company only comprised about 40 people in total and we worked on the same floor, so I encountered most all of them in day-to-day interaction. As such, I noticed that the teams took on the personalities of their leaders. I'd grouped them in my head accordingly.

Edward's sales group - Team Asshole as I thought of them- included sales representatives Paul, Felix, Tanya, Heidi, and Tyler. Each rep gave off a slick, smarmy vibe as did Edward's annoying assistant, Jessica. The only tolerable members of the sales team, Emmett and his assistant, Seth, behaved nothing like the others.

"_I don't blame you for taking this job, Bella," Edward said smugly when it was his turn to meet. "A beautiful woman like yourself was probably very taken with my uncle. There's a reason why he's on his fourth wife, you know. The thing is, yeah, our little ATS family is dysfunctional. So fucking what? Our clients are happy for the most part and that's all that matters."_

After that session, I'd added sexual harassment training to my recommendations list.

The nicest people here could primarily be found on Esme's operations team. I thought of them as the Brady Bunch, and not just because Brady was the name of Esme's assistant. From Jasper and Bree in human resources, to Chelsea the receptionist, Peter and Jared from the marketing department, and the legal team of Sam, Charlotte, and Garrett, they tried their hardest to encourage teamwork among the other groups.

"_I'm doing the best I can," said Esme nervously when I met with her. "But honestly, I'm a designer, not an executive. Carlisle asked me to design the office. Then, he asked me to help run the admin team. I never left. I haven't been _able _to leave. It's a nightmare sometimes." _

While I understood Esme's position, I found her admission more than a little irritating. All of the chiefs were my age, and I had yet to see where any of the four of them deserved their big-shit titles. I suspected they were earning a ridiculous amount of money too, which was also aggravating though none of my business.

I called Carlisle's finance and accounting team the Grindstone Group. They kept to themselves and did their work. From Kate, Carlisle's mega-organized assistant, to Jake, Carmen, Ben, and Shelly who made up the rest of the group, they were consummate professionals.

"_I'm going to offer you some advice," Carlisle said testily as he stood to leave my office after our meeting. "My father is not the caring man he presents himself to be. We asked him to help us get started, not take over the whole company. Bringing you on behind our backs was unnecessary and uncalled for; we would've worked out the issues around here eventually. If he'd undermine his own family, he wouldn't hesitate to do it to you. You'd be wise to watch yourself around him."_

I thanked Carlisle for the warning, even if I thought it ridiculous and overdramatic. By all accounts, Caius had funded this whole operation. He was well within his rights to do whatever he felt necessary to make sure he got a return on his investment and then some. Clearly, the chiefs expected Daddy and Uncle Caius to write them a check and wash his hands of their business; he fooled them by taking a more active role and they were livid.

I could barely tolerate Rose's I.T. group, Team Bitchface as I thought of them collectively. The I.T. associates in charge of in-house systems, Jane and Alec, were nasty pieces of work, just foul human beings. Lauren, Rose's assistant, was worst of all; at least Jane and Alec tried to give the appearance of being civil, Lauren didn't even do that.

The remainder of the I.T. associates - Laurent, James, Victoria, Leah, Riley, Demetri, Maria, and Irina - worked on client web projects. They were opinionated, loud, and argumentative but they knew their shit when it came to technology, I'd give them that.

"_My _job_ is managing a tech team that keeps this whole place running," Rose said nastily as we met. "And I'm damn good at it. I don't need some stranger from who-knows-where sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong."_

After meeting with her, I'd included some recommendations for group anger management in my notes to Caius.

One constant had emerged from all of my meetings and interactions with my coworkers: most everyone liked Emmett. He returned from his sales trip several days after I first met him, and even now, I found myself smiling at the memory of my few interactions with him.

I noticed in passing that people almost always seemed to be repeating something he'd said, laughing at something he'd done, or discussing the new clients he was wooing or had successfully landed. Laughter and levity followed Emmett everywhere. I wanted to get to know him better; I hoped we could become friends.

* * *

"You survived your first week," Caius said. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you," I said. "I think it's going well. I really like it here."

"I think we're a little more lively than the funeral home," he quipped. "Pun intended."

I laughed so hard I snorted. "Yes, I think so," I replied as he laughed along with me.

"I love the write-ups you've sent me so far," he said warmly. "Very helpful, and just what I was looking for. I can't wait until you meet with the rest of the team."

"Yes, I'm so looking forward to it," I replied sarcastically.

"I'm glad," he said with a warm chuckle. "You can take off now. Please come back on Monday."

"I promise," I said, laughing again. "Have a good weekend."

I prayed I wouldn't get sucked into long conversation with Alice, Caius's assistant, but she wasn't at her desk. I hurried to my office before she could catch me. I really liked Alice and I could tell we'd probably grow to become good friends, but that woman loved to talk and I wanted to hurry home and celebrate my first week by crawling into bed with a good book.

Back in my office, I shut down my computers, locked up my notes, and gathered up my belongings. I couldn't help the smile on my face, a result of Caius appreciating my work. I'd put a lot of time into the reports I'd given him thus far and his praise meant a lot to me.

I'd just grabbed my purse when the phone in my office rang. I didn't want to answer, but curiosity got the better of me.

"Bella Swan, Aro Technology Solutions. How can I help you?"

"So professional," Angie said as she chuckled into the phone. "I'm impressed."

Smiling, I sat back down.

"What do you want?" I asked. "I'm on my way home now."

"Why did they spell Aro like that in the company name?" she asked, completely ignoring my question. She must have used my business card to call me. I had no idea why I needed them, but Jasper gave me a stack of them yesterday and I'd given one to Angie.

"Because it's not 'arrow' like bow and arrow," I replied. "Aro is a person. He was my boss's father, and the grandfather of three of the chiefs. They named the company after him."

"Interesting," she said. "Listen, do you wanna go to the movies tonight? My treat. I thought I'd ask you before you got home and locked yourself in your room with a book."

"You're a very wise woman because that's exactly what I planned to do," I replied as I smiled. "After a hot bubble bath, of course."

"Of course," said a deep voice filled with mirth that was not Angie's.

I looked up, startled to find Emmett, standing in my doorway with a huge smirk.

"So do you want to?" Angie asked.

"Sure," I replied, unable to look away from Emmett.

"Okay," she said. "See ya soon."

I ended the call and stared at Emmett who stared back at me. "Did you need something?" I asked eventually.

"No," he replied, still smirking, as he continued to stand there and stare. "I just can't figure it out."

"Figure what out?" I asked, unable to stop smiling myself.

"Whether you're crazy or just bad-ass," he replied as I cackled.

"You gotta be one or the other to still be here after a week with these jackasses. I don't even have to work with_ all _of them, but you do. That takes... I don't know what it takes. "

"Well, New Business, you can stand here and try to figure it out," I said as I picked up my purse and keys. "I'm outta here."

Still smirking, he stepped out of the room and watched as I locked the door.

"Think I'm gonna go with bad-ass," he said when I turned to leave. "Definitely bad-ass."

I couldn't help but grin stupidly at him as I made my way down the hall. What a perfect way to end my first week at ATS.

* * *

By the end of week two, I'd completed my assessment meetings with all of my colleagues, except for two: Emmett and Lauren. Rose's assistant sat before me now and I'd given up trying to be nice. I just wanted her out of here.

"I don't see how you're qualified to be doing performance reviews," said Lauren. "That's HR's job."

"This is an evaluation of job responsibilities, not a performance review," I said. "And if you'd answered the questions I sent you in the e-mail, we'd be done by now."

To minimize the time I'd "waste" out of everyone's day, I'd sent e-mails to them all prior to our meetings, asking them to describe what they did in the normal course of a day in as much detail as possible. The responses so far had been telling to say the least: some people took the time and thought to really give an in-depth analysis of their duties, while a few others, like Lauren, had given me nothing to work with at all.

"I'm swamped," she snapped. "I manage Rose's schedule, and she's very busy. And I have to do all the admin stuff for the whole I.T. team. Maybe I didn't have time to fill out your little twenty-questions game."

"That's exactly why we're here," I said calmly. "Caius wants to find out where we need more help. Sounds like you could use some."

"I do a great job," she shouted. "Not many people could handle everything I do."

"So, you couldn't use an assistant of your own, to handle the little things that take up your time: answering phones, responding to routine e-mails, setting up conference rooms?"

I couldn't help but smirk because I knew I had her. Lauren needed more help than anyone I'd talked with so far. However, in her mind, admitting that would betray Rose who should have gotten help for her a long time ago.

"Then, you could focus on the more important tasks like making presentations and putting together reports for Rose and the team," I said. "Are you telling me you don't need help?"

"That's not what I said at all," she said after a few moments. "Don't go twisting my words around."

I chuckled to myself, but the tone of our meeting improved considerably then; in less than half an hour, I was able to get Lauren and all her attitude on her way.

As I typed up my notes from the session with Lauren, a sharp rap on the door drew my attention.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked a grinning Emmett.

"Here for my turn," he replied with a wiggle of his eyebrows. I raised an eyebrow at the him in return. He just laughed and sat down in the chair in front of my desk, draping one of his long legs over a taut thigh. Not that I was staring at his body or anything.

"Have a seat why don't you," I said.

He smiled a huge dimple-showing grin.

"How'd you hear about this job anyway?" he asked. "I didn't know they were looking for a writer."

"Excuse you," I said. "I ask the questions around here."

"My apologies, Ms. Bad-Ass," he replied as I cackled.

"I saw the ad on Craigslist," I said when I stopped laughing.

"I've never known them to put ads on Craigslist," he said seriously.

"I think that's why Caius put it there," I replied. "It was very cryptic too. Didn't mention the company by name until I replied."

He stared at me for a bit before he spoke. "Big C made a point of keeping you a secret from his fam. There's gotta be a reason for that, don't ya think?"

"I've wondered about that too."

"Why do you think he did that?"

"I have no idea," I said. "I'm just happy to have a job."

"I hear that," he said with a dark chuckle. "All jokes aside, how do you like it so far?"

It took a moment for me to collect myself because his deep blue eyes intensified, disarming me completely.

"So far, I'm loving the challenge," I said after I looked down at my desk to break away from his gaze. "It's way more interesting than my last job."

"Which was?"

"Office manager at a funeral home back in Phoenix," I replied.

"There's_ so_ much material for me to work with in that one statement," he said as I laughed again.

"At first, I didn't understand what Caius saw in me that made him pick me," I said. "But now I kind of do. I made the website for the funeral home. It was pretty basic, but I did all the staff bios and wrote all the content for it and did all the graphics."

"Sounds like he should have hired you for the tech team," Emmett said.

"Uh, no," I said as I chuckled. "I know enough to know that I need to know a lot more, but I knew more about all that stuff than anyone at my job, so it all fell to me."

He nodded, never breaking his gaze, but didn't speak. I had to literally shut my eyes to collect my thoughts. I noticed that around Emmett, my thoughts strayed easily.

"Um, yeah, so," I stammered as he grinned. "A few years ago, the owner's daughter took over and I had to write up all the procedures and processes. That part was really similar to what I'm doing here."

"I'm sure that's not the only reason you were chosen," he said seriously. "You're tough, I can tell. I'm sure Caius could too."

I didn't know what to say to that and it was getting kind of hot in the office with the intense way he _kept_ looking at me, so I changed the subject.

"Could I ask you something since you're clearly not interested in talking to me about your job duties yet?"

He guffawed. "Shoot."

"What exactly does this company do? I've been learning about the individual jobs, but I can't get a real handle on what the company in general does."

I meant that too. Caius wanted me to come up with a mission statement for the company, and I couldn't even figure out what the hell they really did.

"Basically, companies hire us to position themselves online," he said. "We evaluate their web _presence_, their websites, if they even have them, and talk to them about maximizing their business through the internet. A lot of companies are completely clueless about it all. You wouldn't think so, but I see it every day."

I had no time to respond because I was furiously typing up his fuck-awesome explanation.

"Who would've thought you'd actually know what you're talking about?" I remarked when I finished typing. Again, he cracked up laughing before he continued.

"Like for your funeral home," he said. "You got them started with the website. But there's so much more they could do, if they were interested in increasing business online. I go out and show prospectives what we can do. Then, if they sign on with us, the sales team works out the specifics of what they need and the pricing. They close the deal, then the I.T. group implements the terms of the agreement."

"Thank you," I said when I finished typing. "I've been here two weeks and not one person has been able to give me a straight answer on that."

"That's why you're here I guess," he said flippantly. "To put it all in writing."

"Could I ask you something else?"

"You already are," he said, flashing those dimples again.

"Did you always want to work in business? I know I don't know you, but you seem like this lively, free-wheeling guy. You seem almost... confined... in an office. You look the part, of course, but in my head, I see you in sweats, working out somewhere. You in a suit seems... off."

What in the hell possessed me to ask him that was a mystery to me, but I'd said it now and I was curious about his answer.

He cocked his head to the side and grinned. "Not really a question that relates to my job responsibilities, now is it, Miss Swan?"

"No, and I'm sorry," I replied. "It's just something I've been wondering about since I met you."

"So, I've been on your mind is what you're saying?" Again, he grinned. I had to clean up my word vomit.

"Yes, you have. Everyone I talk to mentions you at some point," I said, pleased with my quick recovery. "You're very well regarded around here. I've wondered why that is. Having met you, I can't really see what all the fuss is about."

He threw back his head and laughed deeply. The sound traveled through my entire body, and I felt myself growing warm. _What was this guy doing to me?_

"Sorry I haven't made more of an impression on you," he said with a huge smirk. I grinned back at him.

"People have always looked at me and said, 'Dumb jock'," he replied in a much more serious tone. "They didn't always say it to my face, but I could tell by their looks and how they treated me. I guess I like using my brain instead of this pretty face and great body to make my way through life."

"Good answer," I said as I laughed.

Further conversation was halted by Rose who knocked once before brazenly stepping into my office.

"Hey, Em," she said without a glance in my direction. "Didn't know you were back."

"Just got in," he replied with a quick look to her. "I'll stop by."

"Do," she said before looking up at me and giving me a tight smile.

Even after I shut and locked the door and started questioning Emmett about his job, Rose lingered outside in the lobby staring at him longingly. Seemed that the Ice Princess wanted her some New Business. I wondered if they had a past or if she just wanted them to have a future. Either way, it was certainly none of my business. I couldn't be anything more than friends with him. We worked together, and I couldn't afford to become involved in any sort of office shenanigans, no matter how much I might want to. And though it pained me to admit it, I could see myself wanting something more with New Business.

* * *

My meeting with Emmett lasted the rest of the afternoon, and as much as I enjoyed talking with him, I'd been thrilled to leave work and come home to unwind. Last Saturday, I drove to Forks to visit my dad, Charlie. I stayed with him until Monday morning, then drove straight to work from his place. The entire week had been busy and mentally taxing; I'd fallen into bed exhausted each night. This weekend, I vowed to relax, and by relax I meant reading some new books.

I'd just showered and climbed into bed, book in hand, when my phone rang.

"We miss you, baby," my mom, Renée, said through the phone. "It's too quiet around here with you gone."

"Yeah, because I made so much noise," I said as she laughed. I was a comparative churchmouse next to my boisterous mother.

"How's the job?" she asked. "It must be good; you haven't complained about it once."

"It is," I said. "I feel really lucky to have it. So far, so good."

"Any hot guys?" she asked.

"How old are you? Twelve?" I asked as she howled with laughter. "Seriously though, everybody in that place is abnormally attractive. Like it's in the job description or something."

And in my opinion, New Business topped the ATS Hot List, but my mother didn't need to know that information.

"I'll take that as a yes," she replied, still chuckling. "How was Charlie when you saw him?"

"Good. I'm glad he's dating Sue. He seems a little happier."

"If grumpy old Charlie can find someone, there's hope for you yet," she said.

"Ouch," I replied. "I do have feelings, you know."

"You moving there happened for a reason," she said. "Your prince will come a lot sooner than you think. I can feel it."

"At this point, I'd settle for the court jester," I replied. Again, she laughed.

I talked with my crazy mom for quite a while until I cut the call short when I started to fall asleep.

Before I nodded off completely, I took a moment to reflect on the current state of my life. This tended to happen after my chats with Renée, which always left me in soul-searching mode.

I moved to Seattle a little over a month ago and I didn't regret my decision at all. I agreed with my mom: the move happened for a reason. At 28, I needed to start thinking about the future and I felt good here, I felt "right." For the first time as an adult, I truly felt excited about life. I hadn't spoken with Eric yet, but I owed him a great deal. His pursuit of higher education gave me a chance at a better overall life.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 1. I'm going to try to post weekly; we'll see how that goes lol.**

**Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**1. Thanks for all the kind words about the first chapter!**

**2. If you read **_**New Business Guy**_** in the "Fandom Fights Hurricane Sandy" compilation, please note that this chapter is a bit different. No major changes, but I expanded a few scenes and tweaked a few things.**

**3. Again, thank you emmettsmate for your beta work on the chapter and, in general, for your positive energy!**

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 2**

**BPOV**

A month into my time at ATS, I realized that I'd made a real friend in Alice. In the beginning, her exuberance and general perkiness had been off-putting, but once I understood that her bubbly personality was no act, I accepted it. I talked to her often at work because she kept Caius's schedule and I met with him nearly every day.

Currently, Alice and I sat together eating lunch as we discussed a particularly nasty argument that had broken out earlier between Tanya from Sales and Riley from I.T.

"I know they took things way too far," Alice said, "but I really do think people are just overworked. That's what causes most of the fighting, in my opinion."

"I have to agree with you there," I said. "This place is seriously understaffed."

"Caius is taking your write-ups seriously," she said. "He's already talked to the chiefs about bringing in more people, all based on your evaluations."

Caius and I spent hours going over my notes. He treated my assessments with reverence and really seemed to value my opinions. Clearly, I'd been able to extract far more information from the employees than he or Jasper ever had. Once everyone got over the shock of me being hired, and all the rumors and innuendo about me being Caius's spy-slash-secret lover died down, people saw that I only wanted to understand their jobs to improve the workflow for all of us.

"That's me, promoting peace and harmony across the land," I said as Alice laughed.

"You're so funny," she said. "That's why Emmett likes you so much. You two are just alike."

I choked a bit on my sandwich. When I took a drink and looked up, I found Alice smirking at me.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said.

"Yes, you do," she replied. "And that's all I'll say about that."

"Yeah, let that be the end of it," I replied, "because I'd hate to have to bring up you and Jasper."

"What about me and Jasper?" she asked innocently.

"I have very good eyesight," I said, "and my eyes tell me that you two are closer than most."

That sent Alice into a laughing fit which successfully derailed her from launching into any further discussion of me and Emmett.

I didn't honestly want to think about her comments about New Business, but I'd noticed it too: when he was in the office and not traveling, Emmett always seemed to pop up right near me. As a matter of fact, when he'd walk by my office, he never failed to rap his knuckles on the glass wall. I'd look up, he'd smirk and wink, never stopping or breaking stride. And when he'd pass I'd find myself grinning still, minutes later, not really understanding why, not really caring either.

"Enough daydreaming about Emmett," Alice said, pulling me back to the present.

"Sometimes, I really don't like you," I replied as she laughed.

"You know you love me," she said. "Anyway, I've been meaning to tell you about Casual Fridays here, the last Friday of every month. So this Friday, wear whatever you want."

"Is it _really_ casual Friday," I asked skeptically, "or dressed down from super-dressy Friday?"

While I'd managed to scrounge together a good number of professional-looking casual separates since I'd been at ATS, I looked like a vagrant compared to most of the other women here.

"It's really casual Friday," Alice said. "We can wear whatever we want. I mean, nobody ever wears sweats or shorts or a bikini or anything, but jeans are fine."

"That actually sounds like fun," I said. "Esme must have come up with that one."

"She did," Alice said. "Also, I've been asked to let you know about Happy Hour on Friday too."

"You've been asked?"

"Yeah, the group has finally decided that you're not really a spy for Caius and most of them want you invited now," she said.

"I can guess who didn't."

"You know who," she replied. "The Bitch Brigade didn't want you, but they got out-voted."

Alice and I nicknamed Tanya, Jessica, Irina, and Maria 'The Bitch Brigade' thanks to their constant attempts to mock and humiliate us, usually because they didn't like how we looked or what we wore. Lauren was part of their little crew as well, but since my meeting with her - and Caius's promise to get her an assistant - she'd been much more civil to me. The thing was, Alice and I simply didn't give a shit about them, and didn't allow them to get a rise out of us which made them angrier.

I made sure that I dressed professionally, but also comfortably and within a budget. Alice, on the other hand, was very fashion forward, to the point of looking a little crazy sometimes, but like me she didn't care what anyone thought of her appearance. They could spend all their money on designer clothes, shoes, and handbags if they wanted to, but I'd never go bankrupt because of my wardrobe. Caius had no problem with how I dressed for work and that's all that mattered to me.

"So is it every Friday?" I asked.

"Every other Friday," she replied. "The chiefs decide on the location and e-mail everybody that afternoon. We've only been having them for a few months. You wouldn't think so, but they're pretty fun, and we usually have a decent turnout."

"I'll see," I replied dismissively as I turned my attention back to my lunch.

"That sounds like a 'no'," she said with a chuckle. "Just think about coming this Friday. It's the one thing the chiefs do to try to create a little unity around here."

She laughed when I responded by pursing my lips and raising my eyebrow. It would honestly depend on my mood. I'd go to a couple so as not to seem antisocial, but hanging out with the head cases I worked with wasn't my idea of a fun Friday night.

* * *

When Friday arrived, I paired jeans with my black Arizona Cardinals jersey customized with "Swan" on the back. My stepdad, Phil, loved football and he gave it to me for Christmas last year. At the office, I noticed a few other people wearing sports jerseys so apparently Alice had been correct about Casual Friday being just that.

After a long morning meeting with Caius, I found myself flipping through several boring technology magazines to start his latest project for me: getting an article about ATS published in one of the trade magazines. Caius had called me in to meet as soon as I arrived so I hadn't had a chance to eat my morning bagel. I was hungry as a result, so I decided to heat up my lunch a little early.

While standing in the break room at the microwave, I got the distinct feeling that someone was watching me. I looked up to find New Business, standing in the doorway, watching my every move. The look on his face could only be described as needy.

I'd tried to downplay our little flirtations, but the way he looked at me left no doubt about his feelings. No one in my life had _ever_ looked at me this way.

I jumped when the microwave beeped, thankful to the shrill sound for pulling my eyes away from Emmett's. I made a big production of stirring my spaghetti, refusing to look back up until he said something. After what felt like many minutes, New Business cleared his throat and spoke.

"Takes a lotta nerve to wear a sorry-ass Cardinals jersey in here," he said.

"At least I have enough guts to rep my team," I replied, finally daring to look back at him. My eyes couldn't help but drift to the incredibly well-fitted navy dress slacks, light-blue dress shirt, and dark tie he wore. Damn, he looked good.

He didn't miss the way my eyes traveled over his body. "Client meetings today," he said with a smirk before he went right back to staring.

"Did you need me for something?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "I was coming in here, then I got distracted by your shitty taste in teams."

I chose to ignore his jab at the Cardinals; they were in fact shitty this year.

"I hope you weren't coming in here for more of that nasty Mountain Dew," I said. For someone who so obviously worked out, Emmett didn't have the best eating habits, not that I was judging. I rarely saw him without a Mountain Dew in his hand, even first thing in the morning.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," he said suggestively with a wiggle of his eyebrows that caused me to snort and laugh.

"Keeping tabs on what I eat and drink now?" he asked with a huge grin as he walked closer to me.

My face grew hot as I stared up at him. _Why had I opened my big mouth and said anything?_

"Not at all," I said with a grin of my own. "I just noticed that you like your Dew."

"You seem to notice a lot of things about me," he said, grinning even more widely.

He stood so close to me now that I could smell his cologne and feel the heat from his body. I knew that I was blushing; I grew warm all over as we stood mere inches apart.

"I'm a writer," I said quickly as I dropped my eyes from his. "We're perceptive people by nature."

"Oh, is that what it is?" he asked huskily.

The deep timbre of his voice raised my body temperature several more degrees. I couldn't have stopped myself from looking back up into his eyes if my life depended on it.

"Yeah, that's what it is," I replied shakily.

Again we stared at each other, no longer even able to speak. My neck hurt from craning up to gaze at him but I didn't care. I could only imagine what we looked like right now; I had to get out of here before anyone saw us.

"Um, I better..." I stammered.

"Yeah, uh, you..." he replied after taking a deep breath and stepping a few feet away from me. "Didn't mean to keep you from heating your food."

"No problem."

I couldn't resist one more playful comment though.

"Just don't let it happen again," I said as he grinned. I picked up my container of spaghetti and hurriedly walked past him.

My bare forearm touched him as I brushed by on my way to the entrance. I knew he was watching me; I could feel his eyes burning into my back. I couldn't help myself; I turned and stared _again_.

"See ya," I said, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah," he replied, all traces of humor gone from his voice. "See ya."

I hauled ass back to my desk. The whole way there, I thought about Alice's comments from earlier in the week about me and Emmett. Even outside of work I found myself thinking of New Business more than I cared to admit. I didn't want to acknowledge my feelings for him, but I couldn't avoid them anymore.

"Get it together, Swan," I said aloud as I shut my office door, ran to my desk, and collapsed into my chair.

I just couldn't go there with Emmett; I _wouldn't. _I liked him, but I liked my job more. I needed this job, and I wouldn't jeopardize it. In a contentious environment like this one, the last thing I needed was the gossip that would result from an office romance. I didn't judge anyone else for doing it, but it just couldn't be me, no matter how much my arm still tingled from where I'd brushed by him earlier.

"It can never happen," I said firmly to myself as I stirred my spaghetti anew.

_But why couldn't it?_

Well, first of all, I had no idea if Emmett was even available. It was hard to believe that a man who looked like that could be single.

"That's a lame argument," I muttered, disturbed that I seemed to be having a deep conversation with myself. Looks meant nothing in the reality of relationships, nor should they. I considered myself attractive, and I was single. Maybe Emmett was too. Besides, I thought he was a very decent man and I doubted very seriously that he'd be openly flirting with me if he had a girlfriend.

"I'm too old for this shit," I mumbled as I put the lid back on my spaghetti and stared blankly at my computer screen.

I was indeed too old for these "does-he-like-me, does-he-not" games. But I was also being too hard on myself. It wasn't my fault, or Emmett's, that we simply had a natural connection and we did, in a major way. I'd never been so taken with a man before, nor had I ever been in a serious long-term relationship. I'd been content dating and having sex with guys I was merely comfortable with, like Mike Newton, the last guy I'd dated back home.

"Mike," I said with a sigh, crossing my legs tightly in the process. The thought of him, and his magic mouth, made me shiver. It also put something else into perspective for me.

In all honesty, part of what was going on here with this whole Emmett situation was sheer horniness. Mike sucked a mean clit, and it had been months since I had access to his talented tongue. I wasn't all that big on masturbation, but if I couldn't get my feelings for New Business under control, I might have to make an exception. The man set my body ablaze with a single look. I could only imagine what we'd be like together intimately.

My work phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Are you available for the next hour?" Alice asked. "Caius wants to meet with you again."

"Sure, I'll be right down."

Still hungry and now deep in thought, I put my lunch away, grabbed my notepad, and went to see my boss.

* * *

When I took this job, I worried that Caius would run out of things for me to do. I quickly realized that my concerns were unfounded; he seemed to be adding to my list. Our meeting lasted well into the afternoon as he discussed everything from the weekly reports from the chiefs to his plans for several new training positions. I didn't know if I'd find this exact position anywhere else in the world, but I loved it and hoped I could keep it going long-term.

"Bella, I'm glad you're here," he said. "You have a great attitude, and I can't tell you how pleased I am with your writing. I've already talked to the chiefs about your recommendations."

"Um, they're _your_ recommendations," I said even though I was delighted at his praise. It was just as Alice had said.

"Based on _your _information," Caius said warmly. "Look, I know who all works here. I know it couldn't have been easy getting as much as you did from them. But I knew you were tough enough to handle it. That's why I hired you."

"They _were_ tough nuts to crack," I replied with a shake of my head.

"You are most definitely right about that," he replied.

I still sometimes couldn't reconcile the man I knew Caius to be with the man the chiefs knew. There was some serious bad blood between Caius and Carlisle, Edward, and Rose; the longer I worked here the more obvious it was. Though I was curious about the reasons why, I truly didn't want to know.

"I know we never discussed you traveling," he said suddenly, "but I'd like you to come to Web Tech with us in a few months. I'm sure you've heard some of the others talking about it."

"I haven't actually," I replied.

"Well, you saw from the reports that we've been going to more and more technology conferences," he said. "They're a great way to get our name out there. This one's in San Diego."

I gasped._ Hot damn. _A free trip to San Diego. I'd never been.

"I'd love to go," I said. "But I'm not sure what you want me to do there."

"I'd like you to attend the sessions with me and some of the chiefs," he said. "I'd love to get your thoughts on what we're doing at these conferences versus what we could be doing. You have a real talent for analysis and summary. Your reports always cut right through the bullshit."

"That's me, Chief BS Officer," I replied as he laughed.

"Good. That's settled," he said. "I've asked Alice to make the travel arrangements. You'll get a per diem as well."

"Thanks, Caius. I can't wait."

After he dismissed me, I went back to my office where, instead of working, I shamelessly explored San Diego online. I actually got annoyed when a familiar rap on my door pulled me from my "research."

"Yes, New Business?" I asked with a grin that I couldn't suppress. "What do you want?"

"You looked entirely too happy to be doing work," he said as his eyes drifted down to my computer where I had the conference website pulled up on the screen. "Now I see why."

He sat down in the chair in front of my desk and we grinned at each other. We really had to stop this but it was clear that when we got around each other we just couldn't contain ourselves.

"I take it you're going to Web Tech?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just found out. I've never been to San Diego; I'm excited. Does everybody leave together?"

"Usually," he said.

"Guess I'll..."

We were interrupted by my work phone. I lifted my finger to let Emmett know I'd be right with him. I was shocked, however, by the person I heard on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, Bells."

"Hey, Dad. I thought you were kidding about calling me here."

Charlie didn't understand what I did here, no matter how many times I explained it. He was convinced that I was some sort of computer tech support operator. When I gave him my business card, he threatened to call me for support help; I thought he was kidding.

"Yeah," he said with a pitiful attempt at a laugh. "I thought I'd give you a ring. I think I'm near you right now actually." He sounded very strange.

"In Seattle?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah," he said, again with the nervous chuckle.

Emmett stood to leave but stopped when he heard my tone.

"What's going on?" I demanded. I knew Charlie too well; he didn't just drive from Forks to Seattle for kicks.

"I, uh, doctor's appointment," he replied.

That simple statement told me all that I needed to know: something was wrong and it had to be serious.

"Tell me where you are," I commanded. "I'm coming to meet you." He knew better than to question me based on my tone. He told me where he was and I told him I'd meet him.

I immediately called Alice.

"Could you ask Caius if he has a second to meet with me?" I asked hurriedly.

"What's wrong? You sound upset."

"I need to leave for the day and I just want to make sure it's okay with him," I said as I shut everything down and locked my notes in my drawer.

"Just go," she said. "He's on a conference call, then he's got a flight to catch after that. If he asks, which he won't, I'll tell him you had an emergency."

"Thanks, Alice," I said.

"Is your dad okay?" Emmett asked as he followed me.

"Don't know," I replied, too distracted to question why he was going with me. He had the good sense not to keep making chit-chat as we hurriedly made our way out of the building and down the street.

I found Charlie outside of an office building in the middle of the next block.

"Explain," I demanded, too annoyed to even give him a hug.

He raised an eyebrow and looked warily at Emmett.

"Emmett McCarty," said New Business quickly as he extended his hand. "I work with your daughter."

"Charlie Swan. Good to meet ya," said my dad as he shook Emmett's hand. I could tell he was impressed by Emmett's clean-cut appearance. He frowned though when he looked at me.

"That's how you dress for work?" he asked, taking in my Cardinals jersey.

"It's Casual Friday," I said. "Emmett had to meet with clients, so he had to dress up."

"You could've at least worn a Seahawks jersey," Charlie said disdainfully as Emmett guffawed.

"I said the same thing," he said as they laughed together.

I glared at the both of them, which quickly shut them up. We weren't out here for a comedy routine. Something was wrong with Charlie and he wasn't telling me.

"Uh, I guess I'll go back," Emmett said. "Call me if you need anything. Nice to meet you, sir."

"You too," Charlie said, flashing a rare smile before Emmett walked away.

"Thanks," I said to Emmett who turned and waved but kept walking. I turned back to Charlie.

"What's going on?"

"Seems like a nice guy," he said, ignoring my question.

"He is. What's going on?"

"Be careful," Charlie said. "Ya gotta watch those office romances. They can get messy."

"I didn't come down here for you to play Dr. Phil," I said testily. "What's. Going. On?"

He frowned a little at me before he sighed.

"I've been seeing a specialist," he said. "I thought I might have cancer."

My heart leapt into my throat.

"You thought?" I asked.

"I got a thing on my skin, like a knot, on my chest," he said. "But it was just a cyst, it wasn't cancer. Now he's removing it."

"Right now?" I shrieked.

"Yeah," he said nervously.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"The doc says it's a real simple procedure," he said with a shrug. "He does it right in the office. Said I could drive after it's done. I didn't think it'd be a big deal. Guess I got a little nervous."

And all my anger vanished in an instant. My big, tough police chief dad was scared.

"I could really hurt you for not telling me about this sooner, but I'm glad you called," I said as I finally hugged him.

"If I'd known your office was_ this _close, I would've told you before," he said. "I didn't realize it was the same street until I pulled out your fancy business card." I smiled at the card in his hand.

"Let's get in so they can slice you up, old man."

"Not funny, Bells," he said as I grabbed his hand and we walked inside of the building.

"And by the way, I'm not in any office romance," I said. "Emmett was in my office when you called. He's just my friend."

"If that's what you think," he said, actually laughing right in my face.

"That's what I _know_," I replied.

* * *

"I could kill that man," said Sue, Charlie's girlfriend.

"Please don't," I said with a chuckle. "I love him."

"I do too," she said. "But I can't believe he never mentioned any of this to me. I noticed he hadn't wanted to be very intimate lately, but I thought it was just him getting older. I didn't think much of it."

"Uh, yeah," I said uncomfortably. I was not interested in hearing about my dad's sex life. At all. "I think he thought he could handle it until he got to the office. I think he freaked a little and then he called me."

"I'm so glad you're closer now," Sue said warmly. "He missed you. He's so much happier now."

"I'm happy too," I said.

"You sure he's okay there tonight?" she asked. "I can..."

"No, he's fine," I said. "He's knocked out anyway. I bet he was too worried last night to sleep much. He said he'll leave in the morning."

"Well, thanks for letting me know, and for talking to the doctor. I'm glad you were there for Charlie."

"Me too," I said. "Now you and I just have to stay on him about his health."

We talked a little more and then we hung up. I _was_ glad I'd talked with the doctor; I felt much more aware of what was going on in my dad's life. Though things hadn't worked out between my parents, I loved them both dearly. The thought of something happening to either one of them shook me to my core.

It only took about 20 minutes for the doctor to remove the small cyst from my father's chest; it wasn't huge, but it was definitely bigger than I thought it would be and I could see why Charlie had been alarmed in the first place. I would've been too if something like that suddenly popped up on my skin.

After he followed me home, we ate dinner and talked. I insisted that he stay over; I knew Angie wouldn't mind. He tried to sleep on the couch but I wouldn't hear of him being cramped up like that when he just had a medical procedure. Too tired to fight, he settled into my new amazingly comfortable bed, turned on ESPN, and almost immediately fell asleep. How I loved that stubborn, hard-headed man.

I decided to take a shower to unwind from what had turned out to be a long and crazy day. When I got out, I called Angie and left her a message to let her know that Charlie was here. Her school was having "Meet the Teacher" night or she'd have been home already.

I'd just set up the couch with blankets and pillows when Angie called.

"I know Charlie's there, but you said he's asleep. _Please_ come out with me. I'm starving and I need a drink. I'm begging."

"Was it really that bad?" I asked.

"You have no idea," she said. I could hear how drained she was. "Shitty shitty shitty day._ Please_."

Charlie would not be waking up anytime soon knowing him; he was already snoring. It would be quieter for him if we were gone for a while anyway.

I was exhausted and the couch was calling my name, but I reluctantly agreed. After all, Angie had been there for me more times than I could count.

"Fine," I said. "Where?"

"_New Moon_," she said. "Come now; I'm almost there."

Angie needed me to lift her spirits, so I tried to spruce myself up even though I was exhausted. I put on jeans, ankle boots, and a new sweater that fit a little more snugly than I remembered. I pulled my hair into a ponytail over one shoulder; I was too tired to do anything else with it. I did put on a little lipstick though.

After checking on Charlie one final time, I grabbed my purse, made sure I had money, and left to meet my friend.

* * *

_The New Moon_ was a popular restaurant and bar about halfway between where we lived and where I worked. I decided to walk in case I needed to drive Angie home.

"Thank you," she said, stepping out of her car about a block away from the bar.

"No problem," I said. "You sounded pretty bad."

"Freakin' parents," she said as I laughed. "They all think their kids are angels. Is Charlie okay? I can't believe he called you." I gave her a brief recap of what had happened as we walked.

"I'm gonna have a talk with him in the morning," she said as she shook her head; the two of them had always had a good relationship.

"Do," I replied as she held the door into _The New Moon_ open for me; the place was packed.

"Guess everybody had the same idea," she said dejectedly.

"Do you wanna stay?" I asked. "It's up to you."

"No," she replied. "I'm _starving_; I need to eat now. Maybe we can..."

She was interrupted by several loud voices from across the room.

"Bella!" "Hey, look who it is!" "It's Bella!"

I groaned as Angie laughed.

"Look what the cat dragged in," said New Business, who appeared beside me, having effortlessly maneuvered through the crowd. "Everything okay with your dad?"

"Yeah, he's fine," I said.

"Good. Care to join us?"

"Is this the happy hour thing?" I asked warily as Angie looked eagerly up at him.

"Yeah," he replied. "Please come grace us with your presence."

"This is my friend Angela," I said. "Is there space for both of us?"

"Any friend of yours," he said sweetly as I rolled my eyes and Angie laughed. "Hey. I'm Emmett."

"Nice to meet you," Angie said. "And thanks."

"No problem. Follow me," he said as he moved through the crowded space.

"Holy shit," Angie mouthed to me while giving me a thumbs up behind Emmett's back. I laughed; I _may_ have described him to her once or twice or ten times.

A stranger passing by might have thought I was everyone's rich long-lost aunt the way my coworkers greeted me from their seats around the tables in a large room near the front of the restaurant.

"Sit by me, Bella," Alice called, beer bottle in hand. She was next to Jasper who pulled up two chairs from along the wall and made space for us at their table. Emmett pulled up a chair and sat behind me, not really at the table at all.

"Everything okay?" Alice asked as we sat down. I nodded, not wanting to get into the details about Charlie.

A waitress came over and gave us menus and put some chips and salsa out for us. Angie quickly placed a drink order and dove into the chips. I didn't know how long it would take food to come, so I just ordered an appetizer sampler for us. Angie was too distracted by the chips to remember to order anything else, and I wasn't even hungry, having just eaten with Charlie not too long ago.

"Who's your friend, Bella?" called Ben Cheney from accounts payable.

"Everyone, this is my best friend, Angela Weber," I shouted over the din.

"Hi," Angie said. Everyone greeted her enthusiastically. Well, mostly everyone.

The Bitch Brigade sat huddled together, and Tanya whispered something to them that caused them all to laugh. I chose to ignore them. Angie was already significantly happier than she was when she'd called me and that's all that mattered.

"This is more people than I would have expected," I said to no one in particular as I looked around the room. Almost everyone from ATS, except for Caius and maybe a handful of other people, sat around the long tables.

"Yep. We had to feel you out before you got an invite," Emmett said with a wink.

"See how closely tied you really were to the old man," said Jake, who worked in the finance group.

"We decided you're cool though," said Charlotte from the legal team.

Once my soda and Angie's drink arrived and she'd taken a calming swig, I walked her around to meet everyone. I noticed that Ben couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her. I'd have to tell him that she was taken.

"You know I don't like to use the 'b' word," Angie said when we sat back down, "but those are some grade A witches over there. You were _not _kidding."

"I told you," I said as I chuckled.

Our appetizers came, along with more food for some of the others. We ate, talked, and laughed and New Business sat by me the entire time. I didn't know if he'd been in this corner before I got here, but something in the frequent glances in our direction from Rose told me that he'd probably been over there with the chiefs earlier.

"What do you do, Angela?" Ben asked from across the table.

"Angie, call me Angie," she said. "I teach first grade." Several people asked her questions and she talked and laughed with them. I, however, turned my attention to the people on my left.

"Something I should know about?" I asked Alice and Jasper who were sitting way too close for comfort, no matter how crowded the room was. She was practically on his lap.

"No," they said together as I laughed.

"Totally fucking," Emmett whispered, pretending to cough into his hand.

Alice and Jasper howled with laughter; they made no denials, however. They really were perfect together; Jasper's general state of calm balanced out Alice's hyper, nervous energy. They met at work and it wasn't a problem, so why couldn't it work for me? A quick glance at Emmett told me that he might be thinking the same thing; he watched them with a somewhat glum expression.

Angie had several more drinks - and part of Ben's meal too - as she talked with Ben and a few of my colleagues, while Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and I talked all over each other as we ate. I learned that Alice and Jasper started at ATS the same week 2 years ago, and that they were the longest-tenured employees except for the chiefs. Emmett started a few months after Alice and Jasper; no one else had been there longer than a year. The company had been open for 3 years, so that would point to a very high rate of turnover.

Some of the others sitting near us chimed in with their experiences at ATS and I ended up having a great time, pleased that I'd dragged myself out of the house when Angie asked.

At one point, as I reached for food off of the appetizer plate, my sweater hitched up a little and I felt something press against the exposed skin of my lower back.

"Can I get in on some of that?" New Business whispered gruffly in my ear, much too close to me to be strictly appropriate. Clearly, some part of him was pressing against me, probably his knee.

"Personal space," I said jokingly as I raised an eyebrow at him and he backed up a bit. We grinned at each other, and I didn't know why, but I took the onion ring I was holding and fed it to him.

"Mmmm," he said, moaning as he chewed.

"It's just food," I said, though I found myself mesmerized by the motion of his mouth.

Suddenly, Angie squeezed my arm, breaking me from my reverie. I leaned toward her to see what she wanted.

"Don't look up," she whispered, "but if looks could kill you'd be freakin' dead right now."

"Rose?" I whispered back.

"Yeah," she said. "And by the way, that dude wants in your jeans. _Bad._"

"We're just friends," I said. She snorted and rolled her eyes at me as I sat back up, careful not to look across the room. It didn't matter; I could feel the glares. But as I sat up, I felt a hand replace the knee on my back. A large warm hand that was slowly, lightly, caressing my skin. It had been quite a few months since I'd had any action in that way and my body was most definitely reacting.

Maybe New Business was a little tipsy, and maybe I was a little horny, but either way, I needed to remove myself from this situation. I liked my job too much to jeopardize it over some office fling. With a sigh, I tapped Angie on the shoulder, interrupting her conversation with Ben. They seemed to be having a great time.

"I'll be back," I said. She nodded and I carefully backed my chair up and stood, which was not easy to do with Emmett sitting so close to me.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'll be right back. Help yourself to more onion rings." He laughed as I made my way to the bathroom.

By the time I waited in line, used the bathroom, and washed my hands, Angie had come inside.

"I'm ready when you are," she said. "You know Rose walked over and sat in your seat as soon as you got up."

"I'm not surprised. This was interesting, to say the least."

"Tell me about it," she replied. "But fun. I can't wait to get home. We have so much to talk about."

Rose had removed herself from my seat when I returned to it, only, I suspected, because Emmett was nowhere to be found.

"We had a great time, guys," I said to the room in general. Some of the others were preparing to leave as well. I gave Alice money for our food and drinks; I had no idea how they normally handled the bill.

"I'll expect you at every Happy Hour," Jasper said playfully.

"I wouldn't if I were you," I said as he and Alice laughed. While I chatted with a few other people on the way out, I noticed Angie and Ben putting numbers into each other's cell phones. Yes, we did have a lot to talk about.

Finally, I made it outside, where Emmett stood just by the door looking lost in thought.

"Hey," I said. "Leaving so soon?"

"Just needed a break," he said. "You taking off?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm not much of a night owl. I only came out for Angie."

"I'm glad you did," he said.

"Yeah, it was fun," I replied.

He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I was so handsy in there. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just got carried away."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "We were all packed in there pretty tight." I was finding it difficult to look into his eyes because they were several shades darker than normal and it wasn't because twilight had fallen.

"I don't want things to be different between us," he said. "You're the coolest chick I've ever met. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to send you running from the room."

"Three sodas sent me running, not you," I said, even if that wasn't the honest truth. We laughed together and were soon joined by Angie.

"You two work with some real characters," she said, shaking her head.

"That's about the nicest thing you could call them," Emmett said as we started walking. "Where are you two parked?"

"We're just in the next block," I said. "We'll be fine."

"It's dark out," he said. "I'll walk you down."

Angela smirked at me and we walked the short distance to the car in silence.

"Good to meet you, Angie," said New Business as I took Angie's keys and unlocked the car.

"You too," she said. "I have a feeling I'll be seeing more of you."

"Get in and put your seatbelt on," I snapped before Emmett could reply. I hurried to close her door then I walked to the driver's side.

"So, I'll see you Monday," I said to Emmett who was still lingering.

"Yeah, Monday," he replied.

We stared at each other until I yanked my head away and got in the car.

"He's still standing there watching us," Angie said, giggling and looking into the rearview mirror as I drove away. "He's got it _bad_."

"Whatever," I said, overly annoyed with her for what she'd said to him. _Clearly, _she'd had a bit too much to drink. "What was up with you and Ben? What about Eric?"

"It's complicated," she said with a flippant wave of her hand.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, we haven't been all that okay in a while," she said with a long sigh. "Actually, we broke up. "

"Um, when?" I asked, incredulous.

She sighed again.

"Before you came," she said.

"Angie!"

Thank goodness I had the presence of mind not to stop the car; I had to focus on driving, not the shock of what she'd just told me.

"Bella, if I told you the truth, that I wanted you to come here because he left me for good and I couldn't afford it on my own, you'd have dropped everything and come right that second. I didn't want that on my conscience."

"So you made up a total lie instead, and told it to your best friend?"

"It's not a complete lie. Eric_ is_ going to Duke, but not until the spring. For now, he's living with his brother in Tacoma. But he's not coming back here, not for me anyway."

This all made so much sense. Since I'd moved in with her, I noticed a distinct lack of Eric's items around the place. However, I thought she'd just packed what he hadn't taken and put it in her bedroom or storage or something, to make me feel more at home. And she was on the phone often, so I just assumed she was talking to him some of those times. But she had a lot of family and likely had been talking to them, not Eric.

"You know I'm right," she said. "I wanted you to really think through coming here, even though I really needed you."

"I'm sorry," I said eventually. There was no point in me being angry; she had to be hurting. They'd dated forever. "But what if I'd said no?"

"I knew you wouldn't," she replied. "You've been talking about wanting to shake up your life for a long time."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm better now," she said. "I wanted to tell you, so many times, but we've both been really busy since you got here, which helped make things easier."

"What happened?" I asked. "I thought he was the one."

"I think we were bored with each other," she said. "When he said he wanted to go so far away for school when he really didn't _have _to go there, I asked him what it meant for us. We had a long talk about it."

"As long as you're okay, I guess," I said. "It was just weird seeing you so flirty with Ben. I was like, _I need to tell him she's taken_."

"It was nice to have someone interested in me again," she said. "Eric lost interest a long time ago, I think."

We were already back home, so I didn't say anything else as I parked. Angie barely made it to her room before she collapsed on her bed. She did, however, say one more thing before she fell asleep.

"I'm not sorry for what I said to Emmett," she said. "You only got so upset because you know I'm right. You like him, a lot, and he's going to be around more. Don't fight it."

I was left to think about what she said as I changed and settled in for the night.

From my makeshift bed on the couch, I thought about my wild day, from my flirtations with Emmett in the break room to his concern for Charlie to how we'd behaved at _New Moon_. _Shouldn't I be more upset? _If he'd been "handsy," to use his word, in the office, it would have been considered harassment. But I certainly didn't feel harassed. We were so comfortable with each other, no matter where we were. Tonight, I enjoyed his closeness as well as his touch. Maybe I was like Angie, just in need of a little male attention, from any guy.

I snorted out loud at that lie. One very specific man had turned my whole world on its axis, and his name was Emmett McCarty. With a smile on my face and New Business on my mind, I finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Unbelievably, to me anyway, I survived my first two months at ATS. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett remained my closest friends at work. Most everyone else, though pleasant for the most part, steered clear of me, thanks to my close working relationship with Caius. Frankly, I liked that people remained a little wary of me and kept their distance.

Because my boss kept me busy with new writing projects, I spent a lot of my time conducting research in the company's library, a small room with a connecting door to one of the conference rooms. The library housed print versions of ATS's marketing materials and various reports, and all manner of technology-related books and magazines. Caius said I could move all of it to my office if I wanted, but I liked the small, quiet room as it afforded me an opportunity to leave my office from time to time.

Unfortunately, this morning, my time in the library made me privy to information that would turn my happy little time at ATS on its head. As a result, I currently stood outside of Emmett's office nervously pacing the floor.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked from behind me.

I placed my hand over my racing heart.

"Thanks for scaring me," I said.

"No problem," he replied as he grinned. "What can I do you for?"

As I often did around him, I raised an eyebrow at his playful choice of words and he laughed.

"I need to talk to you," I said. "It's kind of important."

He entered his office and locked it behind me when I followed.

"What's up?" he asked as I sat down in front of his desk.

I gasped, distracted by a big picture on his desk: a smiling little girl with long, dark hair dangled from his giant forearm. She looked_ just _like him.

"She's gorgeous," I said. "Your daughter?"

"No," he said. "That's my niece Kim. I don't have any kids." I felt a shameful and unanticipated amount of relief at his words.

"I bet you're a great uncle," I said.

"Kim seems to think so, and my nephews too," he replied. "Do you have kids?"

"No," I said. "It's more work than I can handle just taking care of myself." He laughed while my mind drifted to thoughts of what he'd be like as a dad.

"How many nephews?" I asked.

"Two."

"More nieces?" I asked, eager to find out more about him.

"No, just Kim," he said. "Any more questions?"

"Yes, actually," I said as he smirked. "Do you have brothers? Sisters?"

"One of each," he replied. "I'm the youngest. What about you?"

"Only child," I said. "I was too special; my parents knew they couldn't top me. That's the way my Grandpa Swan used to tell it anyway."

He guffawed, the sound of his rich deep voice reverberating through my entire body. Maybe coming to his office hadn't been such a great idea. He stopped laughing and looked at me with a more serious expression.

"You don't seem like a person with important news," Emmett said. Just that quickly I'd lost my train of thought.

"Oh. Yeah," I said, shaking my head a bit to collect my thoughts. "I heard something about you today; something I thought you should know."

"I didn't do it," he said. "And if I did, I was young and drunk."

I didn't want to laugh but I couldn't help myself.

"Are you capable of being serious for five minutes?" I asked. He nodded and took a swig of the freaking Mountain Dew he'd just gotten from the break room.

"Delicious," he quipped when he saw my reaction to the soda. I laughed, shook my head, and continued.

"This morning, I know you saw those guys meeting with Edward and Rose," I said.

"I did," he replied. "They used to work for one of our competitors. Not sure what they were doing here."

"I don't know either," I said, "but I was in the library and I overheard them talking when Rose and Edward left the room. About you."

"Damn I'm popular," he said with a grin.

"Yes, you are," I said as I chuckled. "_Anyway._ I don't know if they're starting some new company or some new project but..."

Before I continued, I looked around to the glass wall to make sure no one was lingering in the hallway. Then, I leaned forward and whispered.

"They were saying it would be a huge coup for them to get you because you have so many contacts and connections."

He stared back at me, still as a statue. I had debated telling him what I heard, but ultimately, I knew that _not _telling him would eat away at me, so here I sat feeling stupider by the second.

"They were talking about how they'd like to get you to work for them," I whispered again. "They were serious."

"Why are you telling me?" he asked.

Now that I'd barged in here all high-minded and idealistic, I wondered why myself.

"Because I felt like you should know that there might be some other opportunities coming your way," I said after I thought for a moment. "At places that might appreciate everything that you do."

Emmett cocked his head to the side and continued staring at me. I took another deep breath and sighed.

"Look, Emmett. We both know you should be one of the chiefs around here. You shouldn't be answering to that asshole Edward."

He continued to stare, making me feel that much more stupid but I wanted him to understand what I meant.

"This field seems pretty... opportunistic. Just look at the turnover here. I just thought you should know that you're valued by people outside of this place."

"That's interesting coming from you," he said as he smirked at me. "Weren't you brought here to show Caius the holes in this ship so he could patch them up and keep us all onboard?"

I chuckled a little at his very appropriate analogy.

"This is the best job I've ever had, and I like it here, but I wouldn't judge anybody for leaving this place," I said frankly. "It's a very stressful environment. I think it's getting better, but who knows if it'll continue to improve? I understand that people need to do what's best for them in their situations."

"Interesting," was all he said as he continued staring at me.

Well, this little chat hadn't gone at all like I'd expected. I stood up so I could end my bumbling idiot impression and leave with my tail tucked between my legs.

"Hey," he said as I reached the door.

I stopped but didn't turn around. I heard him stand and walk toward me.

"Thanks for the heads up," he said softly. "I appreciate it. Sometimes, you make me forget my manners. I didn't mean to be a dick about you coming in here."

"Can't help what you are, I guess," I replied as I looked up at him and smirked. He smiled back as he unlocked the door and held it open for me.

"Seriously, thanks," he said.

"You're welcome," I replied, genuinely happy that I'd told him what I'd heard. "And one more thing: you didn't hear anything from me."

"Anything about what?" he asked as we grinned at each other before I turned and walked back to my own office.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2!**

**As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**1. Thanks again for all the kind words in your reviews! I appreciate them all. **

**2. If you read **_**New Business Guy**_** in the "Fandom Fights Hurricane Sandy" compilation, please note that this chapter includes several expanded scenes and a few other tweaks to position the story for the forthcoming chapters. **

**3. Many thanks to emmettsmate for her beta work on this chapter!**

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 3**

**BPOV**

Had I not overheard those guys talking about Emmett, I might have been blindsided by what happened today, a mere week after my confidential chat with him. A flustered-looking New Business had hurried into my office late this morning.

"_Uh, hey, you got a minute?" he asked as he looked into the hall. _

"_Sure, what's wrong?"_

"_I need to talk to you."_

"_Okay, have a..."_

"_No," he said. "Not here. Can you take a break?"_

"_Sure," I replied. "Is everything okay?"_

"_I just need to talk to you. Can you meet me down at Jenks, in like fifteen minutes?"_

Truth be told, I would meet New Business on the moon if he asked me, so I'd agreed to meet him. I arrived at Jenks - - - a sort of coffee shop and deli down the street from our building - - - a little before New Business did. I selected a few bagels and donuts for us, ordered coffee for me, and grabbed a bottle of Mountain Dew from the soda case for him. He'd actually picked a great time to meet: too late for breakfast, too early for lunch. I secured a seat in a corner where I could monitor the door and see any of our coworkers who might enter.

I already knew what Emmett would say, and I would miss him greatly.

I saw him walk in; many female heads turned at the sight of New Business in his perfectly fitted gray plaid slacks, crisp gray dress shirt, and silk tie. The man damn sure knew how to cut a fine figure. I stood and waved him over.

"Thanks for coming," he said.

"No problem," I replied. He grinned when he saw the soda waiting for him.

"Finally got you trained," he said as I laughed. "I'm gonna miss you."

"So, you _are_ leaving? That's why you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah. I'm leaving," he said quietly.

"Congratulations," I said, sounding much more pitiful than I'd intended.

"Thanks. I think," he said, causing us both to laugh.

"I'll miss you," I blurted out. "But I know it must be a great offer if you're leaving. I'm happy for you."

"I wanted you to know first," he said as he stared at me. "You know what you mean to me."

"Do I?" I whispered, my fluttering heart preventing me from speaking at full volume.

"Think about that day I saw you in the break room when you had that shitty-ass Cardinals jersey on."

"Hey," I said with mock indignation. "The_ team_ might be shitty, but that jersey is top quality."

He laughed so loudly that he drew stares from some people at nearby tables.

"That's what I love about you," he said. "You're funny as hell. I've never met anyone like you."

I did not miss his use of the word "love"; however, I chalked it up to his heightened emotional state. Whatever we had going on between us, wasn't it too soon for that?

"That day when I saw you in your_ top-quality _jersey," he said as his expression turned from playful to serious, "that's when I knew. You're so different from all the rest of the fake women I meet. You're so beautiful and you don't even try. I couldn't take my eyes off you that day."

My face grew hot at this verbal confirmation of his feelings for me.

"Emmett, I..."

"Bella, I don't expect you to say anything right now. I just want you to know what you mean to me before I leave. Because let's face it, when I go back and tell Caius..."

"This'll probably be your last day," I said, finishing his statement. Caius would not be happy.

"Exactly," he said. Emmett finally looked away from me, which allowed me a little time to comprehend the seriousness of the situation. When Emmett left for this new job, I wouldn't see him much at all anymore, a fact that caused the portion of donut I'd eaten to sit in my stomach like a boulder.

"You'll be great at your new company," I said weakly. "Caius always raves about you. He thinks you do a great job."

"Just not enough to pay me the big bucks over his golden-boy nephew, right?" Emmett asked bitterly.

I sighed. "Right."

"It wouldn't be so bad if we were on commission," he said.

"Not being on commission was one of the biggest complaints from the sales team in the assessments," I said. "I always thought people didn't like working on commission because it can be so unstable."

"Maybe in some other fields," Emmett said, "but not this one. I mean, we're basically offering a service that any company can use. The pay's good at ATS, but it would be a_ lot _more with commission."

"Caius is changing it," I said. "He's working with Carlisle to figure out a percentage or rate or something."

"Well, that'll be good for everyone else," he said dismissively.

"Would you stay if he offered you that, or made you a counteroffer?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "It's time for a change. I don't think Caius would try to match my offer anyway. Even the base salary is more than what I'm making now, and I could really use the extra cash I'll be making there."

His comment left me wondering whether he had serious money issues and why, proving that although we'd shared much in the little-over two months we'd worked together, we didn't know each other well at all.

"I'm happy for you then," I said. "Really."

"Thanks," he said, after he finished a bagel. "I've been looking for something else for a while now, but I wanted to make sure I got the best offer."

"How many offers did you have?" I asked

"Three," he replied with a smug grin as my eyes bugged. "I'd already had a few interviews when you told me what you heard."

"Damn," I said. "Did the guys I told you about make an offer?"

"No. I haven't heard from them. Guess they were just talkin' shit," he said. "I did find out some stuff about them though. They're starting a new company, just like we thought. They were here that day to set up a contract for I.T. work."

"They might be assholes," I said of Rose's I.T. group, "but they _are_ good at what they do."

"Exactly," he said. "Rose knows her shit and she's tough on them, but that makes them better."

"What exactly is up with you and Rose?" I asked bluntly since we were on the subject of my least favorite chief. Not that I had a favorite.

He rolled his eyes and took a swig of soda. "Wishful thinking on her part is all that's ever been up with us."

"I just wondered because every time I get anywhere near you she mysteriously shows up. It's like she's got radar on you."

"I wouldn't put it past her," he said, causing us both to laugh. "She's been after me since I got here. I mean, who could blame her, really?"

Again, we both cracked up laughing.

"Seriously though," he said. "She's got a nasty attitude. I don't why, and I don't care either."

"You'd think she'd be a little more professional considering her position," I said. "I thought you were sexy the first minute I saw you, but I tried to keep my poker face on."

He laughed his rich, deep laugh.

"Trust me, you did," he said with a big grin. "Half the time, I thought you were gonna report me to Jasper."

I raised an eyebrow and he laughed even more as I spoke. "I mean, I started thinking you might have had radar on _me. _If you'd shown up in the bathroom with me, then I would've been forced to talk to Jasper. Luckily, it never came to that."

He continued to laugh as I finished my donut.

"I just couldn't figure you out," he said. "After a while, I thought maybe you had a guy or something."

"I don't," I said, a little too quickly. "Do you?"

"No, I don't have a guy," he said as I cackled. "Or a girl."

"Good," I replied. "Nobody will be happier to hear that than my dad."

Lately, in my little circle of friends and family, talk of New Business overruled all else. Angie, Charlie, and even Alice constantly asked me about him. Charlie told my mom about Emmett too; sometimes, my parents' friendly post-divorce relationship annoyed me. Now, Renée bugged me all the time about "the hunky guy from work" when I never mentioned him to her at all.

"I'm glad your dad's okay," Emmett said with a warm smile. "Seems like a great dude."

"He is. I love him, and trust me, he loves you."

"Do you?" he asked coyly as he cocked his head to the side.

I decided not to turn this into a dramatic moment since we were having a great talk, basically discussing the nature of our friendship and possible relationship.

"I love many things about you, and I'm glad that we're friends," I said as his huge grin caused his dimples to make an appearance. "Maybe we can be more someday."

"I like that answer," he said. "I feel the same way."

We ate a little more; I noted how reluctant Emmett seemed to go back to work.

"So tell me about the new job," I said. "Will you be doing the same thing?"

"The job itself, finding new business clients, is the same. But what I'll be selling is completely different. ATS sells a service. The company I'm going to - - - Summit-Meyer - - - sells software, licenses, and equipment, like network servers, that sort of thing."

"Do you know about all that stuff?" I asked. "I guess they have training if you don't."

"I will have training, but I do know more about that side of the business," he said. "I took some computer science electives in college. I've always been interested in this field. Plus, I learn a _ton _at all the conferences I go to."

"Wow, there's really a brain in there," I said with a smirk. Again, he laughed.

"The biggest thing is the pay," he said. "I'll be making a shitload more money."

"Good," I said with a grin. "You can buy me dinner sometime to make up for the fact that you're leaving me in the asylum."

"I'll buy you whatever you want," he said without a hint of humor in his voice. I could feel myself blush.

"Is the company here, in Seattle, or will you have to move?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"It's here," he said. "I'll still have to travel though. But now I'll have a specific region. I was all over the place for ATS."

I nodded as I sipped my coffee, just taking in all that he'd shared with me.

"Don't get me wrong. I appreciate everything ATS has done for me," he said. "But it's time to move on."

The thought of Emmett moving on made me incredibly sad, but I didn't want to show it. I didn't want to make him any more emotional or apprehensive. So as usual, I made a joke to put him at ease.

"Am I worthy of sitting here with someone so talented and sought after?" I asked playfully.

"You are more than worthy," he said in a very serious tone that caused my face to heat again.

"That day when you came and told me what you heard meant a lot to me," he said. "You didn't have to do that."

"I just felt like you should know," I said. "I could tell right away that you weren't given as much credit as you should have been at ATS, even though I love my job. It's different because Caius appreciates what I do. I think he does take you for granted sometimes."

"He thinks you walk on water," he said. "I could never get a handle on just how close you two were."

He chuckled when I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't mean close like _that_," he said with a grin. "But you have a connection with him that nobody in that place has. You have no idea how crazy that makes the chiefs. They fucking _hate_ you. At first, I really worried about you. But that's because I underestimated your high level of bad-assery."

I laughed incredibly loudly, drawing more stares from people sitting nearby.

"Now, seeing you drive them so crazy makes my day," he said. "And they can't say shit because Caius is making good changes, all because of you."

"I don't know," I said. "Caius saw _something_ in me, and I'm grateful. This is the best job I've ever had, and I'm good at it. I feel lucky to have it."

"I'm glad you took it because we probably would have never met if you hadn't," Emmett said.

I could have melted into a puddle of goo when he said that. Instead, I just grinned goofily at him.

"When you told me what you heard, it showed me that you cared about me, about our friendship, more than this company," Emmett said, his eyes burning into mine.

"I'm glad that's how you saw it because that's how it was," I said. "That's how it _is_."

I took a deep breath before I spoke again.

"I don't know what we have," I said carefully. "But I think you've admitted here that you feel something _more_ for me. And even though I didn't want to admit it because we work together, I have feelings for you too."

"Good," he said with a broad, dimple-showing grin. "I want us to get to know each other."

"Me too," I replied.

I took my cell phone from my purse and gave it to him. He used it to call his own cell so that we'd have each other's personal numbers.

I noticed he looked at the time on his phone and grimaced before he put it away.

"I think we better get back," I said.

"Yeah," he said sadly.

Back at the building, I stopped him before we walked into the lobby.

"He's going to be mad," I said, not wanting to sugarcoat the situation. "But it's your life and you're doing what's best for you."

"I am," he said, looking a little more confident at my reassuring words. "You don't know much about me, but I got a lotta people depending on me right now."

"Even if you didn't," I said, though his words melted my heart, "you have to do what's best for you."

He gulped and nodded. I truly felt for him; Caius would be livid, but it had to be done.

"Hey," I said as we walked into the building. "I'll still love things about you, no matter what happens."

That earned me the big belly laugh I sought. I had a feeling that would be the last time I saw him laughing for some time.

* * *

**heads up. Emmett coming over 2nite -B**

**Squeeeee! -A**

**How f'ing old r u -B**

**lol. I'll b w/ Ben. b safe ;0) -A**

I smiled to myself as I straightened up the apartment. In the month since their meeting at Happy Hour, Angie and Ben had spent increasing amounts of time together at his place, doing much more than talking based on the smiles he flashed to me around the office. Tonight though, I didn't mind her absence because Emmett needed me.

My whole life, I'd always been something of a realist. Some people, like my mom, viewed my outlook as negative, but I didn't see it that way. I'd always had an ability to assess a given situation and understand how it would likely play out. Maybe that's what Caius had seen in me from the very beginning.

So, when Emmett asked me to go to lunch today, I knew why instantly, and I also knew that Caius would flip his shit. He had, in a _major_ way. However, I hadn't counted on Edward making the situation worse because I tended to ignore Edward. But he'd piled on, and the shouting match that ensued between Caius, Emmett, and Edward would undoubtedly live in infamy at ATS. Alice told me that the yelling only stopped when Caius told Emmett to leave immediately.

Finally, I saw the vicious side of Caius that Carlisle, Edward, and Rose always hinted at. Still, I felt that Edward fanned his uncle's flames, and I knew that Caius would come to regret losing Emmett, a great asset to ATS.

I left work soon after Caius stormed into my office after the fireworks.

"_I suppose you knew," he shouted, his eyes blazing as he stood over me. "You're the closest to him."_

_I didn't even try to feign ignorance. _

"_People do what they feel is best for their situation," I said. _

"_I bet you're next out the door," he said nastily. "Soon as somebody throws a little more money your way." _

"_I have no reason to leave," I said calmly. "My work is appreciated around here." _

Caius had glared at me once that remark had set in, then he'd marched out of the office. I left then because if that jackass Edward or, worse, that bitch Rose had said something to me, I knew I would _not_ have been able to remain so calm and level-headed. And I did like, and need, this job.

As soon as I got home, I called Emmett. He didn't answer, but I left him a message inviting him over to talk if he wanted to, then I sent him my address.

I hadn't heard from him until about an hour ago when he'd called and asked if he could come over at 7:00. I almost jumped out of my skin when a knock sounded on the door at 6:57, not that I'd been staring at the clock or anything.

"Hey," I said as I opened it. "C'mon in."

"Hey," he replied with a tiny smile that didn't reach his eyes as he stepped inside.

I took a deep breath to calm myself as I closed and locked the door behind him. I'd only ever seen Emmett in suits and ties before today. But standing before me now, he wore a Seahawks sweatshirt, a pair of baggy track pants, and sneakers. I'd longed to see New Business casual like this, the way he'd looked in my dreams.

"I heated some lasagna if you're hungry," I said as I tried to contain my raging hormones.

"Homemade?" he asked playfully with a slightly brighter smile.

"Yes," I replied.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd be all over that," he said. "But not now. I just need to talk."

"Okay." I walked to the kitchen to put the food away.

"This place is nice," he said, taking a little tour around the living and dining room.

"Thanks."

When I finished in the kitchen, I grabbed his hand and led him down the hall.

"Let's go. I've got a great bed for talking."

He laughed loudly then, flashing a genuine smile this time. I'd already pulled back the covers on my bed, so I climbed in, sat cross-legged, and patted the space next to me. Emmett stared at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Just hop in," I said. "It's no big deal. This is the most comfortable spot in the house. I'm not trying to seduce you."

"Shame," he said as he smirked a little, letting his eyes trail over my bare arms and legs before he kicked off his shoes and climbed in beside me.

"I was hoping you would call," he said as he leaned back against my pillows and stretched out his legs. "I didn't exactly get a chance to say goodbye once it all went to hell. Thank you."

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," I said. "I knew he'd be mad, but I didn't think it would get so ugly."

"Yeah," he replied. "That dickhead Edward fucked up everything. As usual."

"I can only imagine," I said. "I left not long after you did. Caius said, '_I guess you'll leave next when somebody offers you more money too._' And I said, '_No, because my work is appreciated around here_.'"

Emmett gasped, then shook his head and grinned broadly at me. "Bad-ass, like I always knew."

I laughed. "It had to be said. He knows I'm right. What'd you do after you left?"

"I went to the movies," he said. I laughed so hard I fell back against the pillows on my side of the bed.

"You're nuts," I said, still chuckling.

He grinned at me. "Glad I amuse you. I needed to calm down. Usually, I go to the gym to let off steam, but I didn't feel like talking and I'm kind of popular there."

"Shocker," I said sarcastically as he laughed. "Why didn't you just go home?"

His face fell a little and I instantly regretted the question.

"I did go there to change clothes," he said without looking at me. "But then I left. My house is not exactly an escape for me right now."

I probably should have let that comment go, but I didn't want to. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted him to know more about me too.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

He looked over at me, his eyes examining mine as if searching for something. Eventually, he sighed and spoke.

"How old are you, Bella?"

"Twenty-eight," I replied. "How old are you?"

"The same," he said before he looked away again.

"Don't judge me or anything," he said nervously, "but I still live at home with my mom."

I smiled, and chuckled a little. "Is that all?" I asked.

He looked at me, clearly surprised by the lack of judgment in my reaction. "You don't think I'm a loser?" he asked defensively. "I literally live in the basement too."

At this, I laughed so hard I clutched my stomach. He watched me with a confused expression.

"Why don't you ask me where I lived before I moved in with Angie," I said, still chuckling and wiping my eyes.

"Where'd you live before here?" he asked.

"In Phoenix, with my mom and stepdad, in her basement," I said with a huge grin.

"No fucking way," he said as he laughed. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"You can call her right now and ask her," I said. "But I hope you just take my word for it. She'd probably fly here tonight and drive us to the justice of the peace in the morning if you called her."

"Look at us," he said as he shook his head and chuckled. "Two grown-asses living in the basement."

"I actually lived in my old bedroom there up until a few years ago," I said. "When she married Phil, I couldn't take all the loud sex."

"Yikes," he said with a grimace.

"I thought about moving out then, but she suggested the basement, and it worked out pretty well."

"You told her why you wanted to move?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "We're really close, and she's open about her life. She said I wish I had as much sex as she did."

"Oh my god," he said as his eyes grew wide and he laughed.

"That's my mom for you," I replied. "She's a little crazy, but she's awesome. We have a great relationship. That's why I never left home; it seemed like a waste of money to move out. If I'd gotten married or something, of course I would have left. But I never even had a long-term relationship."

"I haven't either," he said. "Not really."

I wanted to delve into that comment a little further, but he quickly changed the subject.

"So you know Angela from Phoenix?" he asked.

"No," I replied. "From Forks, here in Washington. That's where my parents are from."

"Up near Port Angeles?" he asked.

"Yes. Have you been?"

"To Port Angeles yes, but not Forks," he replied.

Emmett seemed much more relaxed now with his back resting against my pillows and his feet crossed at the ankles, which pleased me greatly. I had wanted to make him comfortable enough to really talk.

"Well, lucky you, you'll get to visit because my dad still lives there," I replied.

"I look forward to that," he said softly, causing me to blush.

"When my parents divorced, my mom and my Gran decided to move to Phoenix with some relatives and they took me with them. But every summer, I visited Forks and stayed with Charlie and my Swan grandparents. Angie's family lived down the street from him. We always played together when I visited, and we stayed friends."

"I like Angela," he said. "And so does Ben."

"She's like a sister to me," I said, chuckling at his comment. "She came here for college and never left."

"I bet your mom misses you," he said quietly.

"She does," I said. "But we both agreed that I needed a change. I just didn't know what to do with myself there, and nothing was happening for me. A few months here, and I actually have a life."

"It's all because of me," he said with a perfectly straight face.

"Completely," I replied as we laughed together.

"So what's your story?" I asked.

He blew out a long breath and looked at me sadly.

"If you don't want to talk about it..."

"No," he said. "You should know. I should have known you'd be awesome about my situation. I don't know why I doubted your reaction."

"Because there are too many judgmental assholes in the world right now," I said. "In this economy, plenty of people are living with family to save money."

He chuckled darkly. "You pretty much just hit on my whole situation."

I turned on my side and leaned against the pillows, then I reached down and squeezed his hand.

"You don't have to tell me anything right now," I said. "You've been through a lot today, and whether you want to talk now or in a month or a year, I'll still be here for you."

"I like talking to you," he said as he laced his fingers through mine. We were both on our sides now, gazing at each other.

"I've always lived in Seattle," he began. "I think that's why I like my job so much. I get to travel, for free."

I wanted to comment, but I decided to just shut up and let him talk at his own pace.

"Growing up, my dad had... problems. Mental health problems. It was always kind of hard living in our house."

I longed to know what he meant by that, but I knew he'd tell me more as we got to know each other.

"My sister and my brother both left home right out of high school. They wanted to get away, and I couldn't blame them. But I was the youngest, and I didn't wanna leave my mom there with him by herself. He was a big guy, like me, and kind of hard to deal with sometimes. But she didn't wanna send him away somewhere."

Tears formed in my eyes, but I tried to keep calm as he told his story.

"I went to college here, and lived at home instead of on campus," he said. "I was lucky, and got a good job right out of school but I still lived at home. I figured I could save up money because I did eventually plan to leave. I mean, I didn't think I should have to live there my whole life."

"You're right," I said. "Your mom made her choices."

"Yeah," he said as he began stroking the back of my hand with his thumb.

"About two years ago, my dad died."

I gasped and squeezed his hand.

"He was getting worse and worse. It was time," he said softly. "I was worried that my mom might go off the deep end or something, but she didn't. She could never really work because somebody had to take care of him. We had some help from mental health agencies and stuff, but it was never enough. I know she missed him, but it was like a weight was lifted off of her."

"I'm sure it was," I replied. "From you too."

I started crying at this point, and he leaned over and wiped away my tears.

"Last year, she went to a cookout at a friend's house and met a guy she really liked," he said. "They started dating, and she was doing really well. She_ is _doing really well."

My stomach clenched as I listened to Emmett. His gripping life story sounded like a dramatic movie; I anxiously waited for the bad guy to appear.

"And I was happy for her," he said. "And for me too because I finally felt like I could leave her and she'd be okay. I'd saved up a nice amount of money, and I started looking for a place of my own."

"Here comes the 'but'," I said. He smiled sadly.

"You know it," he replied. "About this time last year, my sister's boyfriend left her and their two kids; those are my nephews. She didn't have two nickels to rub together. So they moved in with me and my mom."

"How could he just leave his kids like that, no matter what his issue was with your sister?" I asked, clearly unable to keep from commenting.

"I know," he said. "He's a piece of shit. Then, about a month after that, my brother and his wife both lost their jobs. They worked at the same company and almost half the staff got let go."

I just shook my head and frowned.

"Yeah," Emmett said when he saw my expression. "This economy is all kinds of fucked up."

"Are they your niece's parents? Did they move in too?" I asked.

"Yes, they're Kim's parents, but no they didn't move in," he said. "My mom wanted them too. She said she'd go and live with her boyfriend, and I thought about moving out to make space for them."

Listening to him made me a little glad I didn't have any siblings.

"But they had a house already," he said.

"A house with a mortgage and suddenly no jobs to pay it," I remarked.

"Exactly," he replied as he shook his head. "And not much savings either. We all talked about it and just felt like it would be best if everybody stayed where they were. My sister and her kids might be at our house for years. Who knows? So, I loaned my brother some money so they could stay in their house and keep up with the mortgage and their bills."

"You were doing all that," I said, "then coming in to a job every day to work for a bunch of spoiled brats."

He gave a dark chuckle and rolled his eyes. "You seriously just hit the nail on the fucking head."

Without knowing any of New Business's background, I'd always believed him to be a decent and caring man. But hearing all that he'd been doing to take care of his family made me fall for him that much harder.

"If they weren't trying, I'd be upset. But they're good people," Emmett said of his siblings. "Shit just happens sometimes. My sister works part-time now, and my mom watches the kids and takes them to school. My brother got a job a few months after he got let go. He likes it, but it doesn't pay what his old one did. My sister-in-law is still looking. So for the last year, they've all been kinda depending on me."

"Talk about a lot on your plate," I said as I began to caress his forearm. "So there went your plans to buy a place, right?"

"For now," he said. "It's just not a good idea right now."

I let go of his hand, crawled over, and straddled his lap. He looked startled at first but then he began to rub my thighs as I ran my hands from his chest up his neck.

"You're amazing," I said as I stared into his kind blue eyes.

"I'm not, really," he whispered. "Just doing what I can for my family."

"And in light of that, I'm proud of you for doing what you needed to do to make more money. Fuck ATS," I said, my eyes drifting down to his lips.

"I'm not perfect," he said. "I don't want you to think..."

"I'll make my own decisions about you, thank you very much," I replied with a smirk. "And I know you're not perfect."

"Good," he said as _his_ eyes fell to _my_ lips.

I wanted to crack a joke or tease him, but my emotions completely overtook me. I desperately needed to be closer to him, so I pressed myself against him even more.

Placing my hands on his shoulders, I leaned in and lightly touched my lips to his. He instantly reciprocated, and slowly and tenderly, we shared our first kiss.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that," he said.

"But you didn't do it," I replied with a smirk. "I did."

"How about I take charge of our second kiss then?" he asked with a silly grin.

"That sounds perfectly reasonable," I replied.

He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer, kissing me deeply for quite some time until we were both gasping for air. Unsurprisingly, I could feel him hardening beneath me.

"Thought you weren't trying to seduce me?" he asked with a grin.

"I'm not," I said innocently. "I just did what I could to make you comfortable."

"You did a great job," he said, laughing.

"Yes, I think so too," I replied.

He cocked his head to the side and grinned at me for several moments before he squeezed my thighs with his hands.

"If you could remove yourself from my person, I need to use the little boys' room," he said.

"My apologies, little boy," I said, laughing as I rolled off of him.

I thought he stayed in the bathroom _much_ longer than necessary, probably in efforts to _relieve _some tension. The clear-thinking goody goody in me appreciated the fact that he respected me and didn't push for sex right away. The horny rest of me, however, threw an absolute hissy fit.

"Are you staying over?" I asked when he finally emerged from the bathroom. "I think you should be with a friend tonight. I promise no shenanigans. It's a big bed."

"I don't know," he said as he took off his sweatshirt revealing muscles I didn't even know existed in the human body. _Holy shit_. His upper body looked like something out of a fitness magazine. I squeezed my legs together tightly in an effort to control myself. I wasn't sure my panties would make it through the night dry.

"I should probably leave," he added, this time removing his phone, wallet, and keys from his pockets before taking off his pants and socks. He climbed back into bed and smiled at me.

Thankfully, he pulled my comforter up to his chest before I got a more in-depth look at his thighs and_ that ass._ If he hadn't, respect be damned, I might have attacked the man.

"Hate to tell you this, but you haven't really left," I said, smiling broadly.

"I'm leaving," he said as he grabbed a pillow and snuggled into it, grinning all the while.

"If you say so." I unhooked my bra and removed it without lifting my shirt. I smirked at the way his eyes bulged when I did.

"In my head, I'm in my car on the way home," he replied as I got under the covers too.

"Oh, well, that makes perfect sense then," I said as I turned off the light and settled in for sleep beside him. "Drive safely."

He chuckled for a bit as we gazed at each other like we always did.

"You're fucking awesome," he said.

"Tell me something I don't know," I replied.

We grinned at each other until we fell asleep. I could get used to New Business in my bed.

* * *

For the next two weeks, as the Web Tech conference approached, my work and personal lives proved highly entertaining.

Emmett had intended to give two weeks' notice to ATS, but since Caius told him to leave the day he resigned, New Business started his new job sooner than planned. I'd barely seen him in person since the night he slept over. His boss kept him busy in training sessions, but Emmett and I talked, at length, every single night, sharing all kinds of hilarious stories about our lives and past dating experiences. We both acknowledged that we liked the feeling of being in a relationship, now that we finally admitted we had one.

At the office, I found myself in a perpetual state of amusement. Shit hit the proverbial fan on the sales team. The bulk of Emmett's former duties fell to Edward, who, for the first time in his life probably, had to do some real work. Caius, over his initial anger at Emmett for leaving, now understood the reality of the situation; he wanted New Business back in the worst way.

"I need him back, Bella," he said to me as we sat in one of our many meetings. "I know you're friends with him. Tell me what to do to get him back."

"I don't know what to tell you, Caius," I replied. "It seems to me, you could have tried to get him to stay when he first resigned. Instead..."

"Instead, my nephew barged in and made a bad situation worse," Caius said with a sigh.

"Listen, I know Edward has a role here," I replied. "But I also know that he's a 'my way or the highway' kinda guy, and that rubs some people the wrong way. Especially people who bust their asses trying to make him look good."

Caius groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. "If we can't keep a new business leader, I don't know what'll happen."

Caius and Edward had been smug at first when Emmett left, saying they knew the perfect guy to replace Emmett. That guy quit after two days on the job. We'd be leaving for Web Tech soon, then Thanksgiving was two weeks after that, so the sales team would likely be without a new business lead for at least a few more weeks.

I enjoyed another aspect of Emmett's departure as well: the reaction of the chiefs. Carlisle and Esme barely acknowledged me at all anymore, annoyed by my friendship with, and perceived allegiance to, Emmett. Rose and Edward glared at me every chance they got, somehow blaming me for Emmett leaving.

In fact, the more Caius relied on me, the more the chiefs seemed to outwardly dislike me, even Esme who seemed so warm and kind initially. During my time at ATS, I'd gleaned that she and Carlisle maintained much more than a working relationship, much like Alice and Jasper. Additionally, my opinion of Esme had changed completely: she did whatever the others told her to do. She functioned as a total follower, going along with whatever the others said to keep her cushy job.

Nonetheless, although I missed Emmett's raps on my door, I loved my job more every day, due in large part to my boss.

"I think he goes home at night and dreams about new projects for you to work on," Alice said after my latest two-hour meeting with Caius. He wanted me to start working with the marketing department soon.

"I think so too," I replied with a smile.

"Do you have a minute before you go back to your office?" she asked.

"Sure," I replied as I sat down at the table she'd moved to.

"I wanted to go over a few things about the San Diego trip since we leave soon," she said.

"I should probably be ashamed of how excited I am," I replied.

"Is Emmett gonna be there?" she whispered.

I nodded as she silently clapped her hands. Emmett and I both considered Alice and Jasper real friends and we'd confided in them about our relationship. They seemed almost as happy about it as me and Emmett.

"He'll do great at that job," she said, "I know it."

"He loves it so far," I said. "They've already trusted him with a lot of information."

Even though he'd just started, Emmett's boss wanted him to attend Web Tech with them to see how they operated at trade shows and conferences where they apparently always had a major presence.

"I'm not sure how much I'll see him though," I said quietly.

"I'm not sure how much you'll see me either," she said. "I plan to do some serious shopping in San Diego."

I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep myself from shrieking with laughter when she showed me the actual list of shops and boutiques she'd drafted.

"You can laugh," she said, chuckling too. "But it's all about the planning. Any real shopper will tell you that."

"I'll take your word for it," I replied.

A preoccupied Alice would leave me with more free time in San Diego, time in which I could sightsee and do whatever else I wanted on my own.

I listened as she talked to me about keeping receipts from the trip for my expense reports. Then, she gave me a schedule of the sessions Caius wanted me to attend. No matter how many boring seminars I knew I'd be expected to sit through, nothing could dampen my enthusiasm for the trip. In my gut, I just knew that I'd have an incredible experience, one way or another.

* * *

"Won't you join us, Bella?" Caius asked as I passed him and the chiefs in the hotel lobby.

"No, I don't think so," I replied. "I'm going to grab a quick bite and get ready for tomorrow."

"Our loss then," Caius said with a smile as his wife eyed me cautiously. "Have a good night."

"You too," I replied sweetly. "See you all tomorrow."

Edward and Rose both rolled their eyes at me, while Carlisle and Esme watched me with blank expressions. I gave not one shit and kept on walking.

We'd arrived in San Diego for Web Tech, and Caius made dinner plans at some gazillion-star restaurant for himself and the executive team. Because of the continued fallout from Emmett leaving, Caius treated me with kid gloves these days. I think he truly believed that I would leave too. I didn't necessarily abuse this knowledge, but I did use it to my advantage, no longer going out of my way to do things I didn't want to do, just to be civil. And that included spending an evening with Caius, his suspicious-acting wife, and the chiefs.

Instead, I headed out of the hotel and made my way down the street to a restaurant and bar touted by the front-desk clerk as having the best burgers in town.

Before I left my room, I spoke to Emmett who'd arrived earlier.

"_Not sure I can meet you," he said when I told him my dinner plans. "I'm at a team welcome dinner now."_

"_It's okay," I said. "We'll talk later."_

"_Definitely," he said. "If I thought I could sneak in to your hotel, I'd come see you tonight. But..."_

"_But Rose has her radar turned on," I said as he cracked up laughing. "She already asked Alice if she knew if you were coming." _

"_Some shit never changes," he said. "Talk to you tonight. Be careful."_

I meant what I'd said to New Business; tonight, I just wanted to get settled in and acclimated to my surroundings. I'd never been anywhere other than Phoenix, Forks, and Seattle, and I could barely contain my excitement at being in San Diego. I knew I'd see Emmett at some point before I left the three-day conference. With a ridiculous smile on my face, I walked down to the street to pick up my dinner.

"What was that?" I asked the hostess after I entered the restaurant and asked where to pick up my order. A waitress had just walked by with a delicious-looking chocolate dessert in a glass.

"One of our famous Mudslides," the hostess replied. "You have to pick up your order from the bar. You might as well have one while you wait."

"Are you on commission?" I asked with a smirk as she laughed.

"No," she said, still chuckling. "I just know how good they are."

When I arrived at the bar and noticed the distinct lack of people, I decided to take her advice. I sat down and placed an order for a Mudslide while I waited for my food. I didn't drink often, but I'd be eating soon which would soak up some of the alcohol... hopefully.

When the bartender set the huge glass in front of me, I removed the spoon and licked some of the whipped cream and chocolate syrup from it before taking a sip of the drink through the long straw.

"Mmmm," I moaned, savoring the Mudslide and its intoxicating sensory combination of sweet from the toppings, heat from the alcohol, and cold from the ice cream. I hoped that nobody heard me. This drink made me entirely too happy; I really needed to get out more.

I used my spoon and straw to make my way through the decadent beverage. When the bartender placed the carryout bag with my dinner beside me, I made myself stop to eat a bite of sandwich and a few fries to counteract the damage I'd already done. Then, I went right back to the Mudslide. Of course, my pig-out hadn't gone unnoticed.

"You know, you're putting on a real fucking show with that straw."

I almost had a *moment* in my panties when I heard Emmett's husky voice behind me.

"Am I really, New Business?" I asked with a huge grin before I turned and threw my arms around him. He hugged me tightly; I loved the feeling of his arms around me.

"You are, but please continue," he said, grinning as he sat down on the barstool next to me. I didn't miss how he placed his firm thigh right up against mine.

Emboldened by the alcohol, I made a big production of stirring the drink, then I sucked some of the Mudslide into my straw and slowly drew it into my mouth. His darkening eyes dropped to my lips, transfixed.

"You are so bad-ass," he said, causing me to choke a little.

"So I've been told," I replied.

"By?" he asked, his face mere inches from mine.

"My boyfriend," I replied as he smirked. "Thought you couldn't make it."

"We were almost done when you called," he said. "I wanted to try and make it over here to surprise you."

"Consider me surprised," I said.

"Did you eat first?" he asked, looking between me and my drink skeptically. "It's a long day tomorrow, and you don't want to be hungover."

"Thanks for the advice, dad," I said as he laughed. "I just ate a little of my dinner, but I promise to eat the rest."

"You could finish your dinner up in my room," he said suggestively. He guffawed when I immediately glanced down at my unfinished Mudslide with a sad expression.

"I think I'll take you up on that," I said when I finished laughing. "I've developed an unnatural attachment to this. And you're right, I want to be at my best tomorrow."

"Best news I've had all day," he replied as he held out a hand to help me down from the barstool.

He paid for my dinner and my drink, then he turned to me when we reached the door of the restaurant.

"Look, I don't wanna cause problems for you," he said. "Nobody at my company knows who you are, but if the ATS team sees you with me..."

"They're all at some exclusive restaurant, and Alice went shopping," I replied. "So it's fine so long as we go to your hotel instead of mine."

"Mmm, perfect," he growled in my ear.

The sound went straight through me, making me shiver. Considering the fact that I did have sessions to attend tomorrow, I probably should have thought a little more about my decision to leave with Emmett. But I missed him, and in my slightly inebriated state, I simply didn't care.

* * *

"Sorry, you okay?" Emmett asked as he rested his sweaty head against my neck.

"Fine," I said as I tried to catch my breath, not caring at all that I'd probably end up with a knot on the back of my head from where I'd just banged it against the wall.

"Good," he growled. "Hold on. We're not done."

I clutched my legs more tightly around his waist as he thrust into me again. That's how I hit my head in the first place: New Business was holding me up while he fucked me against the bathroom wall in his hotel room, a definite first for me.

"I've wanted to do this since the first day I saw you," he said.

Apparently, New Business liked to talk while he fucked because he hadn't shut up this whole time. Meanwhile, I tried to do everything I could not to pass out from overexertion. I could barely breathe at this point, so I didn't try to waste energy by answering him. He could talk until his tongue fell out so long as his body didn't stop.

"Always walking around looking sexy as hell, not even trying," he said as he groaned into my ear.

I moaned in reply and tried to tighten my hold on his muscular arms, which wasn't easy to do as both of our bodies grew slick with sweat. I still couldn't quite believe that we'd arrived at this point. We'd come to his room, I'd eaten the rest of my dinner, we'd laughed, joked, and talked like always, made a bunch of suggestive comments to each other, and talked about birth control. Next thing I knew, here I was, having the best sex of my life. I'd wanted this for a very long time, but I certainly didn't expect this to happen tonight.

"... guys fucking drooling all over you, and you didn't even care," Emmett was saying when I recovered my thoughts a bit.

I wanted to come up with some witty reply but I couldn't think, too lost in the emotion and sensation of our desperate, needy encounter. I could feel every movement of the well-defined muscles of his shoulders, arms, and back as he relentlessly pounded into me.

"Always chewing on your pens, sucking on your water bottle. You just don't give a fuck. It's hot as hell."

Apparently, I'd never really had sex before because _nothing_ I'd done with Mike and those other guys had remotely been like this. I never sweat this much ever, not even when I exercised. I could barely breathe air into my heaving chest, long tendrils of my hair stuck to my forehead and neck, my legs and arms ached from the effort of holding on to him, yet New Business plowed on.

"Em... please... I..."

I couldn't get the words out because I didn't know what I wanted to say really. I had never felt like this before. _Ever._

"You look so fucking hot," Emmett said, "I knew it would be like this. You don't know how many times I got off thinking about you like this."

He slowed down his rhythm as he spoke.

"I dreamed about seeing you like this, falling apart because of me."

When he said "me," he gave a particularly hard thrust then stuck his hot tongue in my mouth, kissing me wildly. I knew I couldn't handle much more, I couldn't believe I'd lasted this long. When he stopped kissing me and licked along my neck, I could take no more. I dug my nails into his back and screamed into his shoulder as I came, falling limply against him.

"Shit, Bella," he yelled when he released several minutes later. He hurriedly moved us to the bed where he practically threw me down and collapsed beside me. I could barely move, I couldn't seem to stop blinking, nor could I stop gasping for air.

"You are fucking amazing," New Business said as he rolled over and draped his arm over my stomach. With the last remaining strength I possessed, I turned my head toward him and smiled weakly.

"Wow," I said breathlessly as he grinned at me.

"What time is your first session tomorrow?" he asked.

"Ten," I said, my eyes drawn to his chest where his muscles rippled as he caught his breath.

"I'll make sure you're up in plenty of time, okay?" He wiped hair off of my forehead and kissed it tenderly before he got up and went back to the bathroom.

"Thanks," I replied. I wanted to go follow him and clean up. I wanted to talk to him about what we'd just shared. I wanted to tell him how amazing he made me feel. However, overwhelmed and spent, I couldn't even move. So, I shut my eyes and tried to collect myself as best I could.

* * *

I woke up completely disoriented. Emmett lay beside me, lightly snoring with the sheet loosely spread over him. I yawned and then flinched when aching muscles protested my movement. Clearly, Emmett did what he could to clean me up after I fell asleep last night, but I felt nasty, so I decided to take a shower.

The hot water performed a small miracle on my muscles. After I dried off, I took some Advil from my purse to help rid myself of the slight headache I had from that awesome Mudslide. The alarm clock read 1:37 in the morning. Thank goodness I had more time to sleep before I needed to wake up to get back to my hotel.

I watched Emmett as he slept: so much responsibility rested on those broad, muscular shoulders. I needed this man in my life, however I could have him. After what we'd shared last night, I knew that he needed me too. Feeling much better after coming to this clear-headed realization, I succumbed to sleep once again.

* * *

So, literally fucking with New Business the night before I had to spend all day _sitting_ in meetings with Caius wasn't the brightest thing I'd ever done. Not that I regretted the best sex I'd ever had. I absolutely, positively, categorically, unequivocally, downright did not.

"_That was the best night of my life," Emmett said to me this morning when we parted ways. "I look forward to many more."_

"_Me too," I said. "Once I get a little more accustomed to you and your friend," I said, looking down at his crotch while he guffawed. _

After the second seminar, I found myself literally sitting on the very front edge of my seat to ease the pressure on my aching lady parts, trying to brace myself on my practically nonexistent ass.

Thankfully though, Caius paid me little mind, too busy glad-handing with all the other technology muckety mucks to notice my odd behavior. He wanted me in the background taking notes anyway, so that's where I stayed.

I only saw Emmett once in passing and the smoldering look he gave me almost caused me to have an accident in my panties on the spot. Memories from our night together randomly popped into my head as I tried to listen to boring, dry presenter after boring, dry presenter. Being with New Business was not for the faint of heart... or body.

* * *

"_Did you see him? It looked like he'd been working with them for years."_

"_We need him back."_

"_Fuck him. He made his choice. Anybody can be replaced."_

"_There's somebody out there who can do it. We just need to find him."_

"_Or her."_

These were the comments from the chiefs regarding Emmett as we waited at the airport to return home. I listened to them, and to Alice, chiming in when I needed to so as to appear involved. In reality, I could not have cared less about their conversation, choosing instead to focus on my wandering thoughts.

I never could have dreamed this trip would turn out like it had. My night with New Business changed my perspective on many aspects of my life. Emmett had unwittingly introduced me to passion, which I never realized had been sorely lacking from my previous romantic encounters. Now that I had a taste of what a passionate relationship entailed, I craved more.

But our relationship was still in its very early stages, and our romp left my mind wracked with questions and concerns.

_Did Emmett want as much as I wanted?_

_How would our professional lives impact our personal ones?_

_Realistically, how often would I get to see him?_

_Exactly how was I supposed to manage the intense desire I now felt for his body and his touch?_

"Now boarding Flight 225 to Seattle."

I lingered behind the others as we stood to board the plane, smiling as I thought of the difference just a few months had made.

Thanks to Angela, I'd gone to Seattle for a change and a fresh start. Now, thanks to Emmett, I returned there with plans, and desires, for my future.

* * *

**A/N:**

**1. This is the last portion of the story as it appeared in the "Fandom Fights Hurricane Sandy" compilation. New material will begin next chapter. **

**2. Please note that I will make a blog for this story at some point. I'll put a note in a future chapter when it's up.**

**3. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! A few questions were answered, though more remain *rubs hands together evil-ly* LOL. Thanks for reading; let me know what you think! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**This chapter starts the new material that wasn't a part of the compilation one-shot, and content submitted from this point forward is un-beta'd. Enjoy!**

* * *

**New Business Guy, Chapter 4**

**BPOV**

_I love you. _

I wanted to say the words to Emmett, but in my gut, it felt too soon. So instead, I tried to convey the words with my eyes. I wouldn't consider myself an expert eye-reader or anything, but I believed strongly that his eyes were saying the same thing.

"Something you wanna say?" Emmett asked, grinning at me.

"No, I don't think so," I replied as I smiled back at him.

He kept grinning, and flashing those dimples, as we gazed at each other, having just shared our second intimate experience. I refused to call this time sex though. That first time in his hotel room... yes, I'd call that sex: wild, spontaneous, and unbridled. This time, however, in my bed, Emmett took great care with me, moving at a much slower, more leisurely pace that set my body ablaze in a completely different manner.

"Something _you'd_ like to say?" I asked playfully.

"As a matter of fact, there is," he replied, leaning up on one elbow. "I think I'd like to know how it is that you're so amazing in the sack."

I cracked up laughing, as did he.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a good girl," I said as he guffawed.

"Mmm, I know very well how good you are," he said with a wriggle of his eyebrows. I laughed and shook my head at him.

"Maybe you bring out the best of my abilities," I said. "And I could ask you the same thing. You_ clearly _know what you're doing."

"Like I've told you before, it's not my fault if all those women took pity on a lonely traveling salesman." He said that with a perfectly straight face.

I raised an eyebrow and gave him my best mean mug, causing him to laugh all over again. "As long as you and your libido understand that those days are over, Mr. Lonely Salesman."

"They are," he said happily. "I'm not lonely anymore."

He leaned over and stroked my cheek before lowering his head to engage me in a kiss. I had no idea how I would manage my desire for him. I'd never had to deal with feelings this intense before. I reluctantly ended our kiss because I already knew it would lead to Round Two.

"We both have work tomorrow," I said as he groaned into my neck. "If we don't stop now, I'll be no good at all."

"That makes two of us," he said as he rolled away from me and back onto his side.

We gazed at each other yet again, our eyes saying what our minds wouldn't allow. Eventually, New Business spoke, breaking the silence.

"This should have been how our first time was," he said. "Not all crazy like in San Diego."

"I have _no_ complaints about before," I replied, my comment earning me a soft kiss and a big grin.

"I'm glad," he said. "I kept wanting to apologize for what happened but I just don't feel sorry about it."

"I'm glad it happened like that," I said, "otherwise, I would have overthought everything. It was... I don't even have words to describe it."

"The writer at a loss for words?" Emmett said with a smug grin. "Imagine that."

I chuckled. "Hey, it happens. I could barely breathe, let alone talk."

"I just don't want you to think I had planned it all out or anything," he said in a serious tone. "You were there and, well, you know what happened."

"I have to admit, I worried about how we'd fit together," I said.

New Business, nearly a foot taller than me, weighed almost double what I did.

"I knew you could handle me," he said with a smirk.

"We fit great together, like we were made for each other," I said.

"Maybe we were," he said softly.

"Maybe," I replied as my heart fluttered.

"By the way," he said, "we have to remember today's date. November 11, 2012."

"Okay," I replied. "Any particular reason?"

"Today was our first official date," New Business said with a smile.

"So it was," I said, pleased that he wanted to remember it.

I returned from Web Tech on Friday, and Emmett got back Saturday, yesterday afternoon. When we talked last night, he asked me out for dinner tonight. We'd shared a romantic meal before ending up here in my bed.

Since our bodies and hormones finally seemed to have settled down for the evening, I wanted to address something that I'd noticed at dinner.

"You were pretty quiet tonight. What's wrong?"

"Just tired from the trip back yesterday," he replied unconvincingly. He quickly looked away from me and stared at the ceiling.

"Try the truth this time," I said firmly, using my hand to turn his head back toward me.

He stared at me for several moments then let out a long sigh.

"For the last few weeks, Ma and Gianna have been saying that I'm acting different lately," he said.

"Gianna?" I asked.

"My sister-in-law," he replied.

"Oh," I said. "Sounds like this new behavior started around the same time you declared your like for me," I said with a laugh.

His face blanched.

"Well... yeah... kinda," he said nervously as he looked away again, this time down at the comforter.

"I can't wait to meet them," I said, reaching over to hold his hand.

"Well, that's the thing," he said, looking very uncomfortable. "They kinda figured out that I'm seeing someone."

"I hope you mean me," I said as I chuckled again.

He rolled his eyes, looked back at me, and finally smiled. "Of course I mean you."

"Then what's the problem?" I asked.

"There's no problem, not really," he said nervously before he took a deep breath.

"They want me to invite you for Thanksgiving."

"Why was that so hard for you to say?" I asked. "Don't you want me to meet them?"

"I do," he said quickly. "I do. But like I told you, I never dated anyone serious before. This is new for me. I'm worried about you meeting them. My family's a lot to take on."

It hurt me a little that he seemed reluctant for me to meet them, but I knew he had his reasons.

"Emmett, we're in a relationship now," I said as I tightened my hold on his hand. "I'm going to have to meet them eventually."

"I know," he said. "I just worry, like I said."

I wanted to scold him for thinking I'd judge his family, but his eyes had grown wide and he looked pretty terrified. I decided to go easy on him.

"Well, you're off the hook for Thanksgiving," I said. "I always visit Charlie and we eat with Angie's family."

In the future, we'd have to work on whose family to visit on which holidays, but I felt like it was a little soon for us to be rescheduling anything right now.

"Oh, I figured you had plans," he said, looking extremely relieved, which hurt my feelings.

"_But_, I want to meet them," I said firmly. "They're reaching out, and that's a good thing. You've already met my dad and I know you'll meet my mom soon if she has her way."

"I can't wait to meet her," he said with a grin, "from the way you describe her, I think we'll get along great."

"And I'm sure I'll get along great with your mom," I said. "We've still got this whole week before Thanksgiving. How about we do dinner Friday night? Could you ask them if that's okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," he said after a long sigh. "You might as well set a time. They'll agree to it."

"Good let's say 7, this Friday. Where do you..."

"My place," he said, answering the question I apparently didn't need to ask. He looked truly distraught.

"All settled," I replied, leaning over to give him a quick kiss. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

He snorted a little as he laughed, finally looking more relaxed. "Those sound like famous last words."

Emmett called his mother the next morning before he left my place. He tried to keep me from listening to his end of the conversation, but I could hear her excitement when he told her my suggestion for dinner on Friday.

"Don't worry," I said one last time as we kissed in the parking lot. "To know me is to love me."

I could still hear him laughing as I drove away.

* * *

I hoped I wouldn't be distracted by thoughts of Emmett at work now that we'd become intimate. However, I had no time to spare many thoughts for him or anyone else. I could not possibly have known just how busy my day would be when I returned to work Monday. I'd only been away for three days at Web Tech, but much had transpired around the office.

The first person I passed on my way in was Jasper, in a small conference room, putting binders on the table and arranging an assortment of juices and trays of pastries and bagels on the side counter. The new meeting services associate should have been setting up this room.

"Hey, Jasper," I said. "Need some help?"

"No thanks," he said. "Welcome back!"

He looked up at me briefly, then kept working.

"Thanks," I replied. "What happened to...? Shit, I forgot her name."

"Ashley," he replied.

"Ashley, that's it," I said. "Don't tell me she quit; she just started a couple of weeks ago."

"She didn't quit," he said, disgust evident on his face. "I had to let her go. She refused to clean up."

I sighed as I watched him. "You made it clear in the job description that setting up and cleaning up the conference rooms was part of the job."

"Tell me about it," he said. "This is getting old, real quick."

The meeting services associate position had been created specifically to schedule, manage, set up, straighten up, and clean the conference rooms. With a number of new employees and many new systems in place company-wide, the teams held many more meetings and training sessions. In addition, Rose and Edward had scheduled a series of "Meet Your ATS Team" site visits for existing clients. All of this activity placed the company's meeting and conference rooms in high demand. Many arguments had resulted from meetings that ran over, or conference rooms that hadn't been cleaned up between sessions.

"I'm sure you'll find someone soon," I said.

"I hope so," Jasper said. "Nobody's got time to do their own job these days, let alone somebody else's. It's been falling on me and Bree in HR, and we don't have time for this."

"I guess these are the growing pains of success," I said as Jasper laughed.

"You better get to your office," he said. "Caius is already looking for you."

With a groan and a wave, I hurried down the hall.

I'd barely hung my coat up and turned my computers on when Caius entered my office... with guests: Edward, the sales chief, and Heidi, one of the sales reps. I'd never seen a single blonde hair on Heidi's head out of place. She dressed impeccably, ie, expensively, like all of the people on the sales team. After exchanging greetings with Caius, Heidi, and a stone-faced Edward, I listened as my boss got right to the point.

"Tomorrow, we'll be announcing some exciting new changes within the sales team," Caius said. "We've decided that instead of having a new business lead, we'll give a few of the sales reps opportunities to focus on bringing in new clients. Also, we're ready to implement the new commission system."

"We'll be meeting with the sales team tomorrow morning at 10," Edward said curtly. "We need all of the changes put into writing so we can print it all out and put it together for each member of the team. We also need a summary of the key points put into a Powerpoint presentation."

_Of course_ he needed all of that written up immediately. This wasn't short notice _at all. _I did everything I could to keep from rolling my eyes.

"I have client meetings until later today and won't be available to help," Edward continued. "But Heidi's the senior rep on the team, and she'll be taking a lead role in the near future. I've briefed her on everything we'll be addressing in tomorrow's meeting."

"I'm honestly not the best writer," Heidi said to me. "That's where you come in."

"Caius says you work fast," Edward said with a smirk, "so he suggested asking you to work with Heidi to get this done."

Before I could answer, Caius interjected.

"I know you're working on a few other projects for me," he said, "but they can wait if you agree to do this."

"Sure, I'll help," I said, "it's no problem at all."

"Wonderful," Caius said.

"I'll need to see a draft of it all before the meeting," Edward said. "If you get it done today, send it to me, no matter how late."

"Yes, sir, whatever you say, sir," Heidi said in an overly serious tone. Thank goodness I was sitting down for what happened then: Edward actually laughed, as did Heidi. I'd actually never seen him smile before. Interesting.

"Perfect," Caius said happily. "We'll leave you to it. Thanks again, Bella."

Heidi knew the ins and outs of the sales team extremely well, so what information she didn't have in her notes, she knew off the top of her head. But before we started, she shared a few random thoughts and observations.

"Bella, I know some people give you a hard time but you've really helped get things organized around here," she said. "It's like night and day from when I started."

"Thank you," I said. "I appreciate that."

"If we weren't so much more organized now, the team would have completely fallen apart when Emmett left," she said. "It's bad enough as it is, but it could be a lot worse. With him gone, it's kind of forced us to re-evaluate everything."

I said nothing in reply, not sure if her comments were sincere of if she was fishing for information. I merely nodded and prepared documents in Word and Powerpoint so that we could get started.

"Edward's been great," she said. "He's a good boss. He's trying hard to make things better for us. He's great with clients too. He has a real way with people."

"Uh, Heidi," I said, "no offense, but I thought we were under a time crunch here? I didn't think this would be a presentation on 'The Wonders of Edward'."

Heidi threw back her head and laughed. "I know, Bella. It's just... I see how you and Caius look at him. It's a little unfair."

"I wasn't aware of looking at Edward a certain way," I said. "And if I do, he's a big boy. I'm sure he can handle it. Now, I think we should start by coming up with an agenda for the meeting."

"Yes, ma'am, whatever you say, ma'am," she said, in the same tone she'd used with Edward, which caused us to begin our meeting with laughter.

We made great progress, managing to send drafts of everything to Edward by late afternoon. He asked for a few edits and additional slides, which we made, and by day's end we finished, with nary a thank you from him. I'd long learned not to expect anything in the way of manners or civility from Edward or any of the chiefs.

* * *

Tuesday morning, Caius arrived at my office with Peter, the marketing director, and Jared, the graphic designer.

"I've just talked to Edward and he's very pleased with the sales materials," Caius said brightly.

"Good," I replied. "I see we're on to the next project."

Caius, Peter, and Jared laughed before settling into seats around my desk.

"As you know, we've neglected marketing almost completely," Caius said. "But we really need to kick it up now more than ever, especially as we transition our new business efforts."

I chuckled to myself: his words today, and Edward's yesterday, essentially conceded that the chiefs couldn't find a way to adequately replace Emmett.

"Is Esme going to be involved?" I asked. "Isn't marketing in her group?"

"It is, but Esme's focusing on space planning right now," Caius said. "You all may not be aware, but she has an interior design background. We're getting a little big to fit on one floor, and we're thinking of expanding to another space in the building. While Esme focuses on that, I'll be spearheading the marketing efforts, through you three."

We listened as Caius outlined his plans for marketing; Peter and Jared both asked careful, pointed questions to gain a clearer understanding of his vision. When he left, Peter, Jared, and I spent most of the day discussing the types of marketing materials we would create; then we made a schedule of completion dates for the various drafts. I found that just like with Heidi, I enjoyed working with the marketing team.

Wednesday, Jasper asked me to perform the meeting services duties all day as neither he nor Bree could perform them. Caius did not approve initially, but when we couldn't identify anyone else who could be pulled from his or her job that day, he reluctantly agreed. I didn't mind at all; I found that I liked to learn more about the various jobs within the company.

Thursday morning, Peter, Jared, and I met once again; they amazed me with the drafts they'd already created using some of the text I'd written. Caius kept me sequestered in his office most of the afternoon, grilling me about my thoughts on Web Tech and his idea for having an ATS booth at future technology conferences.

At the end of that meeting, I'd been frank about something with my boss.

"You know, Caius, I understand that I've only been here just about three months now," I said. "But we both know that I'm doing a whole lot more than writing."

Caius cocked his head to the side and grinned at me. "That you are. Much more."

"I hope that gets taken into consideration when I have my first review," I said.

"Have no fear," he said with a warm smile. "We'll be discussing your review after the holidays."

I just wanted to make my feelings known to Caius. I wasn't gunning to be called "chief" or anything, I simply wanted to be appreciated and, more importantly, compensated for the wide array of tasks I performed at ATS.

* * *

With Emmett still training and shadowing his colleagues to learn the ropes of his job at Summit-Meyer, he had yet to do any traveling other than to Web Tech. That meant that every night this week, we'd been at my place together, surrendering our bodies to our sexual desires, learning about each other intimately, sometimes forgoing dinner in the process. We couldn't seem to get enough of each other.

Nights with New Business made for difficult mornings: pulling myself out of bed, away from his long, warm, firm body, was no easy feat.

Thursday night, for the first time all week, I found myself at home alone. I suspected that Emmett was preparing his house, his family, or all of the above for my dinner visit tomorrow night. I didn't want to arrive there empty-handed, so I currently stood in the kitchen, baking a cake while I talked to Angie on the phone.

"I feel like I never see you anymore," she said.

"That's not my fault," I replied. "You're never here."

"Good thing I'm not," she said knowingly. "I stopped by yesterday and went in your room to borrow your big curling iron. Imagine my surprise when I saw Emmett's clothes in your closet."

I howled with laughter. "I wonder how those got in there?"

"So, it's official? It's serious?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes, and yes."

Her answering squeal nearly damaged my eardrums.

"You better be prepared to talk on the way to Forks next week," she said. "I want the whole story. And we'll have nothing but time on the drive."

"I figured we'd catch up on the way there," I said, already preparing myself for several hours of nonstop conversation.

"I'm meeting his family tomorrow night for dinner. I'm taking a cake; I'm baking it now."

"That's big," she said excitedly. "Are you making apple cake?"

"Yes, I'm making Granny Swan's famous apple bundt cake."

"Make us one too," Angie demanded. "And you know you have to make one for my mom next week."

That started a whole discussion of everything we had to do in preparation for our trip to Forks for Thanksgiving, which was exactly a week away. If I didn't want to spend my entire time back home with Charlie knocked out from exhaustion, I needed to get some major rest at some point between now and then.

* * *

When Friday finally arrived, I almost did a happy dance, more than ready to see the end of an unexpectedly busy week.

Having barely seen each other the whole week since we'd been back from San Diego, Alice and I snuck away to Jenks' deli to take a break from Caius.

"What's he had you doing all week?" I asked. "I haven't even seen you at your desk."

"He's got me 'helping' Esme with the plans for expansion," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"What's Brady doing?" I asked. "He's her assistant."

"Not anymore," Alice said. "Remember? He applied and got one of the new I.T. support jobs. He's in Rose's group now."

"I forgot," I said. "It's hard to keep track of all the changes. Are they really serious about expanding?"

"Oh yeah," Alice replied. "We've run out of space. And there's plenty available in the building, especially since we don't need an entire floor."

"That's true," I said.

"They're talking about moving the whole I.T. team to the new area and leaving the rest of us where we are. It makes sense; they're the biggest unit."

I nodded in agreement.

"Really, Caius wants me to keep an eye on how much Esme's spending. She doesn't suspect anything because she's always said she liked my style, and I do have a designer's eye. I think so anyway."

"You're so modest," I said as we laughed together.

"It's clear she knows design though," Alice said.

"I wonder why she doesn't just start her own business?" I asked.

"I think she's saving up the money she's making here to do just that," Alice said.

"Isn't her family mega-rich, like Caius's?" I asked.

"I'm not so sure about that," Alice replied. "And I'm not so sure how rich Caius's family is either. Caius and Carlisle, yeah. The rest of them, I don't think so."

"Interesting," I said.

We ate and chatted a little more until she almost made me spit out my drink.

"So, how was the first official meeting of Emmett's dick and your vagina?" she asked.

"Alice!" I shrieked. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Don't even," she said as we both laughed. "You were damn near walking on air in San Diego. I almost called you out on it so many times. But I didn't. You looked too happy."

"I am happy," I said, unable to stop grinning. "Really happy."

"ATS might be a shitty place to work most days," she said, "but we managed to find good guys here."

"We did," I replied. "I don't..."

Her ringing cell phone interrupted us.

"Shit it's Caius," she said as we hurried to gather up our trash. She put him on speaker.

"Alice, where are you, and have you seen Bella?" he asked.

"No, I haven't seen her," she replied as we tried to stifle our giggles at having been caught.

"Well, find her," he said brusquely. "I need to talk to both of you immediately."

Still laughing as he kept talking, we made our way back to the building.

* * *

"Dinner's waiting for us, you know," I said to Emmett as we sat in his car outside of his house. "We don't want it to get cold."

I didn't think he heard me at all, refusing to release his grip on the steering wheel as he collected himself.

"It'll be fine," I said. "Come on."

I squeezed his thigh; my touch seemed to pull him from his thoughts. He looked over at me and, after a long sigh, he removed his seat belt and opened his door.

I could hear voices from the house as soon as I stepped out of the car; they grew louder as we walked toward the porch. Walking up the steps, I could hear every word as a man yelled.

"... _NEED_ FOOD, YOU _NEED _CLOTHES, YOU DON'T _NEED_ FUCKING CHEERLEADING!"

"One goddamned night. That's all I asked for," Emmett muttered, hurrying to open the front door. "Wait right here."

He stepped inside while I walked to the far end of the creaky porch and took in my surroundings. Although the sun had set, the streetlights illuminated the well-kept grass and shrubbery within the gated front yard. I smiled sadly at the toys and balls scattered about before me.

As I waited, listening while the yelling increased, a small child cried, and a dog barked, I couldn't ignore the... heaviness... of the air around the house.

Suddenly, the porch light came on, the front door opened, and a tall, thin woman stepped out. She held a crying little boy who couldn't have been older than four. The woman looked a little older than me; her thick, straight, dark hair fell to the middle of her back.

She quickly shut the door on the noise inside.

"Hi, Bella," she said as she hurried over to me. "I'm Gianna, Emmett's sister-in-law."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Let's take a walk."

I barely had time to set the cake carrier down on one of the porch chairs before she hurriedly grabbed my hand and pulled me down the steps.

The little boy stopped crying almost as soon as she started walking, distracted by me as he watched me curiously. We walked in silence until we reached the corner where she finally stopped.

Gianna looked extremely distraught so I decided to try to put her at ease.

"We match," I said with a smile, motioning to our nearly identical outfits of pullover green sweaters, form-fitting jeans, and brown ankle boots. Emmett had insisted that I dress casually.

"Yeah," she said with a nervous edge, still too wound up from the arguing in the house.

"I won't apologize for that," she said abruptly. "In this family, you'll have to get used to a few arguments."

Her words may have been tough, but her eyes were melancholy.

"No apologies needed," I said. "I just worry about Emmett. I don't think he wanted me to come in the first place."

She nodded and stared at me for a bit.

"This is Austin," she said of the little boy on her hip. "Emily's youngest."

Though Emmett didn't talk about his family often, I'd managed to extract their names from him in the course of our conversations: his siblings were Emily and Liam, both older. His nephews, Austin and Henry, were Emily's kids; his niece, Kim, was Liam's.

"Austin, this is Miss Bella. Say hi."

"Hi, Austin," I said, reaching out to squeeze his little leg.

"No," he said, jerking his leg away from me. He clung more tightly to Gianna, never taking his eyes off me.

"That's about how kids usually react to me," I said with a chuckle, recalling a few disastrous attempts at reading to kids at the library back home.

"You don't have kids?" Gianna asked. "Emmett never said."

"No, I don't," I said.

"Don't you want them?"

"I do," I said, "someday. Emmett and I are just starting out; we haven't talked about it yet."

She smiled. "Emmett's great with kids," she said.

Apparently, Austin had been listening to us and decided to voice an opinion.

"_My_ unc-ah Emmy," he said as he narrowed his eyes at me.

I laughed. "_Your_ uncle Emmy is _my_ good friend."

"Can't you share uncle Emmy with Miss Bella?" Gianna asked.

"No," he said, shaking his head, until she started tickling him.

"Please can I be friends with uncle Emmy?" I asked as he giggled.

Still smiling even after Gianna stopped her tickling, he looked at me and nodded. The entire exchange made me incredibly sad, though I tried not to show it. With their father gone, likely never to return, Austin and Henry both probably viewed Emmett as their dad, not just their uncle.

"I think we can go back," Gianna said. "I'm sure it's settled down by now."

"I'm sure it's fine," I said.

We started walking back up the sidewalk and Gianna sighed. "That was my husband you heard yelling back there," she said.

I nodded, not sure of what to say.

"He's not a bad guy. He just ..." she couldn't seem to finish her statement as she looked away from me.

"I couldn't help but overhear some," I said. "Your daughter wants to be a cheerleader I take it."

"Yeah," Gianna said quietly. "We can't really afford any extra stuff like that right now, and she knows that. But she's twelve and ..."

"When you're twelve, you want what you want," I said, completing her statement.

"Exactly," Gianna said. "She knows I'm not working, but she also knows that if she begs her Grandma for stuff, Grandma will tell uncle Em, and he'll pay for it. Liam hates that, but Em just wants the kids to be happy."

"That sounds like him," I said.

"He's a great guy, Bella," she said, fear in her eyes for the first time. "Maggie and I hoped he'd meet someone serious and settle down. You're good for him; he's never been like this before. Don't let us run you off. Just get to know us a little. Give us a chance."

"Don't worry," I said. "I'm not going anywhere."

We reached the house again and a burly man with a goatee and closely cut salt-and-pepper hair stood in front of the gate to the front yard, pacing back and forth.

"Bella, this is my husband, Liam," Gianna said.

"Hi," I said with my hand outstretched.

"Hey," he said gruffly, still looking angry and agitated when he shook my hand. I couldn't find much resemblance between Emmett and Liam who was several inches shorter and much heavier. They did, however, share those intense blue eyes. Like Gianna, Liam seemed tired: not like tired from a long day, but tired from the trials of life.

"I'm going home," he said, shuffling his feet nervously where he stood. "I'll catch ya next time."

"That's fine," I said. "I'll be around again."

He stared at me a bit before he smiled a little and nodded.

He and Gianna talked as I walked back up to the porch. The cake carrier wasn't where I left it; someone noticed me looking for it though.

A plump woman with large, clear-framed glasses stood in the doorway; her curly gray hair sat atop her head in a messy ponytail.

"Don't worry, Bella, I brought the cake in," she said with a wan smile. "C'mon in. I'm Emmett's mom, Maggie."

"Hi, Maggie. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," she said as her sharp eyes took me in from head to toe. She tried to put on a happy front, as if the shouting match had never happened.

"I got the dress-code memo," I said, motioning to her outfit of jeans and a green sweater. Instead of a pullover sweater, she wore a green cardigan with a white turtleneck underneath; instead of actual boots, she wore comfy-looking tan slipper boots.

"So you did," she said, laughing nervously as she held the door open.

I'd barely stepped inside when a huge, wolf-looking dog bounded up, stood on its hind legs, and pawed at me.

"Holy shit!" I yelled, too startled to remember my manners as I tried to get away from it.

"Down, Champ," shouted Maggie as she shooed the dog into the kitchen and out the back door.

A sudden chuckle made me turn and jump again. A frail-looking woman sat on the couch observing me with the same intense blue eyes as both of her brothers. Her light-brown hair hung limply around her thin, pallid face.

"You must be Emily," I said when my heart stopped racing.

"Yes. Hi, Bella," she said softly. She didn't move from her seat so I walked over and extended my hand. She shook it lightly, as if the energy it took to raise her arm had drained her. If Gianna looked tired, Emily looked downright lifeless.

"Thanks for bringing that cake," Maggie said as she returned to the living room. "It looks delicious."

"You're welcome," I said. "I love to bake, especially near the holidays."

"Oh, I do too," she said. "You'll need to cook. Emmett's always been a good eater."

I chuckled: that was such a mom thing to say.

"Where is he?" I asked. For the first time, her face fell and she looked as sad as the others.

"Downstairs in his room," she said. "You can go down if you want. I'll get dinner on the table."

I followed her through the dining room and kitchen, noting that the energy inside of the cluttered, yet tidy, home matched what I'd felt outside. This house, and all of the people in it, seemed absolutely weary.

She pointed me toward the door to the basement. When I turned to close the door behind me, I caught her leaning against the counter, dabbing at her eyes.

When I made it to the bottom of the stairs, the brightness of the long basement space surprised me. I walked through the living room section, past a giant flat-screen television and set of barbells. I found Emmett in the small bedroom area, flat on his back on the bed, watching me dejectedly.

I climbed onto the bed beside him and placed my head on his chest. I could hear his heartbeat as I rested on him. Eventually, he began stroking my hair; I took this as a sign that he was coming around. I scooted up, put my hand on his chest, and gazed down at him. I placed light kisses on his forehead, nose, and lips, then gazed back down at him.

"Just once, I'd like to have a normal fucking day with my family," he said. "Just once."

The pain evident in his voice might as well have been a hand reaching into my chest and pulling on my heart. He sounded broken.

"I'm not going to sit here and say 'No big deal, all families fight'," I replied as he looked at me sadly. "But hiding down here isn't going to solve anything. Your brother went home, things are calmer now, so let's go up and eat."

I stood up and held out my hand for him; after several moments, he took it and sat up. Before he stood, he stared at my chest.

"What happened to your sweater?" he asked. I looked down and saw that several long threads had been pulled out.

"Champ the wildebeest happened to my sweater," I said. Finally, he smiled a little.

"He belongs to Harry, Ma's boyfriend," he said. "Harry's a cop, and he works a lot. Ma felt like Champ was lonely and Harry agreed to let him stay here. The kids love him."

"He's certainly friendly," I said. I didn't know Maggie personally, but based on what Emmett had told me about her and what I'd seen, taking in a lonely dog sounded like something she'd do.

"Come on," I said, tugging his arm. "Time for din-din."

He smiled a little, which I felt was the best I could expect under the circumstances, and we made our way upstairs.

Gianna, Emily, and Maggie stood together whispering in the kitchen when we entered. They stopped as soon as they saw us.

"The kids were hungry, so they're already eating," Maggie said as she looked at Emmett, worry all over her face.

"I'm hungry too," I said with a smile that I hoped would put her at ease. "Everything smells great."

Maggie did indeed look somewhat relieved that at least I was happy. I washed my hands at the sink and went into the dining room while they all kept whispering, to Emmett this time. I really couldn't wait for this night to be over.

"Thas Miss Bewwa," Austin announced from his booster seat to the two other children at the table.

"Hi, I'm Kim," said the little girl I recognized from the picture on Emmett's desk. Though older now, she still resembled Emmett quite a bit in my opinion, but she_ really_ took after Gianna.

"Hello," I said with a smile.

Kim looked perfectly happy, not like she'd been in a big argument with her father less than an hour ago at all. But since she'd probably get what she wanted, the money for cheerleading, I supposed she had no reason to be upset.

"I'm Henry," said Emily's eldest son, a brown-haired boy of nine or ten.

"Hi, Henry," I said, smiling at him as well.

I didn't even try to make small talk, having no earthly idea what to say to kids this age. So, I filled my plate with baked chicken, rice, and green beans and started eating along with them.

"What can I get you to drink?" Maggie asked from behind me.

"A glass of water is fine, thanks," I said.

It was Emmett who brought me the water as he sat beside me; Emily, Maggie, and Gianna finally joined us at the table. New Business placed an open can of Mountain Dew next to his plate, laughing a little when I rolled my eyes at it and smirked at him.

When I looked away, I noticed that all eyes were on me.

"Okay, look," I said to the table at large, "I can take a lot of noise, I can take a lot of questions. But I can't take all this staring. Please talk; ask me anything."

"Are you Uncle Em's girlfriend?" asked Kim immediately as Henry giggled.

"Yes," I said.

"We never saw his girlfriend before," Henry said, looking at me with a slightly awestruck expression.

"That's because he only wanted you to meet the best one," I said as everyone laughed.

The questions from the kids effectively loosened up the adults as well, and we were finally able to eat a relatively normal family dinner. Maggie and Gianna asked me so many questions over the course of the meal that Emmett started to get upset.

"Do you wanna know her shoe size too?" he asked angrily.

"No," Gianna said, unfazed by his outburst. "I can tell she's about the same shoe size as me."

I cracked up laughing as Gianna grinned at me. Now that she'd calmed down and we'd laughed a little, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful Gianna was. Her light-colored eyes even sparkled a bit. She couldn't have been more than five years older than me, though the stress of the last year showed, making her seem a little older than she probably was.

Emmett didn't look quite as amused, but when I rubbed his thigh under the table, he relaxed and reluctantly smiled at me.

Emily never did ask me anything, nor did she speak, at dinner. Her odd behavior bothered me more than anything else from this strange evening. Still, we made it through dinner, and when Maggie served my cake for dessert, everyone, even the kids, raved about it. Everyone except for Emily, who merely ate it and smiled at me.

"It was my grandmother's recipe," I said proudly. "I'll make you one for Thanksgiving if you want."

"Oh, if you don't mind," Maggie said with a smile.

"Are you coming back for Thanksgiving?" Kim asked eagerly.

"No," I said as her face, and Henry's, fell a little. "I'll be going home to see my dad. But I'll be back here again. I promise."

I thought I saw Henry smile a little, though he kept his head down eating.

Dinner ended soon when Austin spilled his milk all over his shirt. Emily jumped up and took him upstairs. Maggie left the table as well ,while Emmett talked with Kim and Henry.

I followed Gianna into the kitchen and helped clean up.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked quietly.

"Emily?" Gianna asked as if reading my mind.

"Yeah," I said. "Is she okay? She barely talked at all. She just stares; she seems so lifeless."

"Can she talk? Yes," Gianna replied. "Does she talk much since that shitbag left her? No."

I shouldn't have laughed but I did.

"Shitbag. That's a new one on me," I said.

"Sorry, I forgot you're not used to this mouth yet," she said, pointing to her lips. "She's always been quiet since I've known them all, but she's worse now."

"Emmett says that she works part-time," I whispered, unable to drop the subject of his sister. "Where? How?"

As Emily seemed to be in an almost catatonic state, I couldn't understand where she worked or how she functioned.

"She's an aide at Austin's preschool," Gianna said. "She's more lively around the kids. That job has helped her a lot."

I couldn't imagine Emily as "lively" but I'd take Gianna's word for it.

"And hey," she continued, "whatever issues she has, she_ was _able to get a job. I can't even manage to do that."

I noticed the bitter edge to her voice when she said that as we went back to putting the leftovers into containers.

"I'm glad you brought that up," I said. "What did you do at your old job?" I'd been thinking over something since I'd been talking with her tonight.

"Secretarial work," she said. "Answering phones, keeping schedules, that kind of thing."

"Did you use Excel at all? Are you familiar with spreadsheets?" I asked.

She stopped rinsing the pan she was holding and looked at me oddly.

"Yeah, I used Excel all that time. Why?"

I took a quick look into the dining room to make sure that Emmett wasn't listening in; I wasn't sure how he'd feel about what I wanted to say. But I needn't have worried: Henry and Kim had him looking at some hand-held toy.

"We have a job open and we really need to fill it," I whispered.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's called meeting services associate," I said quietly. "We have tons of meetings and client visits now. We need somebody to keep a schedule for all the meeting rooms, contact the caterers if we need food brought in for a meeting, clean up after, stuff like that."

"It can't be hard to find someone to do that," Gianna said.

"You might think that," I said. "But I'm sure Emmett mentioned some of the entitled, spoiled brats he used to work with."

"Yeah, he told us a lot about that place," she said with a chuckle.

"Well, you see what I mean then," I said. "It might not be that hard to find someone who can do the actual job. But finding someone to deal with all of the attitudes and nastiness is a whole different story. The meeting services person has to be kind of a bitch. The first person quit; she was entirely too nice."

"If you need a bitch," Gianna said as I laughed, "look no further."

"The second person we hired felt like the cleaning part of the job was beneath her," I said. "Like, you would literally have to wipe down tables and bag up trash."

"Shit, I do that at home for free," Gianna said as I laughed again.

"We have a cleaning crew that comes at night, so you wouldn't have to take the trash all the way outside, you just have to gather it up and move it to a designated area," I said. "And you have to be tough with the schedule too. Everybody thinks their meeting is the most important and they want certain rooms and try to overrule each other. The person for the job really has to have thick skin."

"I can deal with attitudes no problem," Gianna said, "especially if I'm getting paid to do it."

I cackled with laughter again. I quite liked Emmett's no-nonsense sister-in-law.

"You really think I have a shot at it?" she asked dubiously. "You have no idea how many jobs I've applied for since we were let go. I feel like I've applied for_ everything. _Yet, here I stand, unemployed."

"I applied for a bunch of jobs when I moved here," I said. "The_ only_ one I even got as far as an interview with was ATS. So if it hadn't been for ATS, I might be in the same boat. Just give it a shot."

She nodded but I could tell she didn't want to get her hopes up, and I couldn't blame her.

"I can't promise you'll get it," I said. "They check references and all, but ..."

"I have no problems there," she said, looking back up at me. "My old boss will give me a good review. She got let go herself; it wasn't our fault. The shit just folded."

"I can't make any promises, but we_ really _need somebody and I think you could handle it."

"It sounds too good to be true," she said with a shrug, "but I'll apply for it, sure. I've got nothing to lose."

I wrote my work e-mail and phone number on a napkin and told her to send me her résumé which I'd forward to Jasper.

"Just be prepared," I said. "If they're interested, they move fast."

"Believe me," she said. "I've got nothing but time."

Emmett and I left about half an hour later. Maggie hugged me tightly before I got into Emmett's car.

"Thank you, Bella," she whispered. "You're good for him."

"He's good for me too," I said.

When we drove away, I waved to New Business's family, assembled on the sidewalk as they waved at me. All except for Emily, who watched from an upstairs window.

"Thank God that's fucking over," Emmett grumbled as he raked his fingers through his hair.

I sighed, really not in the mood for him to be in some sort of funk.

"I'm telling you right now that I'm expecting you to stay with me tonight," I said, not caring how harsh I sounded. "I'm not letting you go home and mope and be depressed all night, leaving me wondering when I'll hear from you again. You're not pushing me away, buddy."

"Is that so?" he said, though I noticed him smirking as he stared ahead.

"Yes that's so," I said. "I know you better than you think, New Business. This has been a long night and an even longer week and I'm tired. The last thing I need to deal with is you going all 'woe is me' on me. Not happening."

"Guess I'm staying with you tonight then, Madam Bad-Ass," he replied, causing both of us to crack up laughing.

* * *

The clock read nearly noon when I woke up alone in bed on Saturday, more tired than I'd ever been in my life. I felt completely and totally drained, and Emmett and I hadn't even had sex last night. This week, managing work and managing Emmett had apparently used up all of my emotional stores.

I sat up and rubbed my face, surprised when I heard several voices and much laughter coming from the living room. Grudgingly, I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower.

Back in my room, Renée called as I got dressed. I'd been avoiding her calls all week, and I knew I couldn't ignore her any longer. I answered the phone and braced myself for her ire.

"Isabella Marie," she said, fuming, "I do not appreciate having to call your father to find out how you are."

"I'm sorry, Mommy," I said as I tried not to laugh.

"Don't you 'Mommy' me," she snapped. "You're my only child, damn near the only family I have left, and I have a right to know that you're okay."

"You're right," I said. "I told Charlie I was fine. I knew you'd call him."

"Why not just return my call?" she asked indignantly.

"Because I didn't have the time this week," I replied. "I can have a five-minute conversation with him. There's no such thing with you."

"Since when did you get so busy?" she asked.

"Since my boss decided I'm his right-hand woman, and..." I took a deep breath before I said the rest, "...and since Emmett and I started dating. We're serious now, mom. And it's a little overwhelming."

She gasped, then squealed in delight, just like Angie had when she found out.

"Why didn't you say something?" she asked excitedly. "Charlie didn't tell me; he just said you were working a lot."

"Charlie doesn't know yet," I said. "I'll tell him next week when I'm there for Thanksgiving."

"That makes sense," she said, completely appeased now that she knew something that my dad didn't.

"Well, well, well, this makes me that much happier I made my decision," she said.

"What decision?" I asked warily.

"Instead of you coming home for Christmas, Phil and I are coming to see you!"

I wanted to be annoyed with her for not even asking me but I wasn't. I missed her.

"That's great, mom," I said. "I can't wait to see you."

"I know, baby," she said. "I miss you so much."

"Emmett can't wait to meet you," I said.

"Believe me, I can't wait to meet him. I want to know everything! Tell me ..."

"Mom, as much as I'd love to tell you every single detail, he's here now," I said as she squealed again. "I promise to call you tomorrow and tell you everything."

"If you don't ..." she said, the threat of bodily harm evident in her tone.

"I promise," I said.

"Okay, love you, baby," she said.

"I love you, too," I replied.

I heard her yelling for Phil as she hung up the phone. Emmett had_ no_ idea what he was in for when he met my mom.

I finally ventured into the kitchen where I found my long-lost roommate.

"Hey, stranger," Angie said brightly.

"Hey, yourself," I said, my voice sounding raspy.

"You're not getting sick are you?" she asked. "You sound awful."

"No. I'm _exhausted_," I said. "This week has been crazy busy."

"Suck on that!" Emmett yelled suddenly from the living room. I looked at Angie.

"Call of Duty. PS3," Angie said. "He's playing it with Ben."

"I have no idea what you just said," I replied as she laughed. "English please."

"Call of Duty is a video game," she said. "PS3 is short for Playstation 3, it's a gaming system."

"I didn't know you played," I said. Angie was a bookworm, like me.

"I didn't, but Eric did," she said, rolling her eyes at the mention of his name. "I bought that stuff for him. I _might _have hidden it when he left so he couldn't take it."

"Good girl," I said as we laughed together.

"You're not eating cake for breakfast," I said, watching her snack on a slice of the apple cake she'd asked me to bake for us.

"No," she said. "I'm eating cake for lunch. You're the one who slept til noon. I can imagine why."

"It's not what you think, horndog," I said as she cackled. Her laughter drew the guys into the kitchen.

"Morning, sunshine," Emmett said as he walked over and hugged me.

I laughed as I hugged him back. "I think it's more like 'good afternoon' at this point. Ben, I promise you I don't sleep til noon every day."

"None of my business," Ben replied, but from the look he exchanged with Angie, I could tell he was thinking what she was.

"I don't know if you guys ate already, but is anybody up for pizza?" I asked. I had no interest in cooking or even heating up anything.

"Just so you know," Emmett said, "you never have to ask me that question again. The answer will always be yes."

We quickly came to a consensus on what kind of pizzas to get and I called in the order.

While we waited, Angie asked me one too many questions about why I was so tired and whether I was nauseous too.

"I know what you're getting at," I told her. "I'm not pregnant."

Emmett choked a bit as Angie and Ben howled with laughter.

"Are you sure?" she asked playfully, still not willing to let it go.

"I haven't taken a test or anything but we've been very careful and I haven't missed any pills," I said. Emmett's face grew paler and paler.

"Besides, unlike you two, we only just started having sex," I said.

Emmett groaned and dropped his head into his hands while Ben and Angie laughed uproariously.

"So, if anybody here is pregnant, it's more likely to be you," I said.

At this, Emmett laughed and Ben's face blanched.

"It only takes one time," Angie said, still chuckling. "But I take your point. And I'm not pregnant."

"I'm not either," I said. "So can you let it go?"

"Fine," she said with a little smirk.

"Sorry," I said to Emmett. "Angie's sweet, but incredibly nosey."

"Clearly," he said, shaking his head as he smiled.

"You two better get used to these sorts of conversations," Angie said to Emmett and Ben. "Bella and I are like sisters, and we're not shy about keeping tabs on each other."

"Clearly," said Ben, parroting what Emmett had just said, causing all of us to laugh.

We talked until the pizza came which ended all further conversation.

Eventually, concerned by the way that I practically inhaled my slices, Angie spoke up.

"I won't ask if you're pregnant again," she said. "But why are you so tired, and so hungry? I've never seen you like this. I'm a little worried."

"I told you, but you didn't believe me," I said. "This week has been long as hell. Work is wearing me out."

Work was not the only thing wearing me out, but I didn't want to give Angie more ammunition, so I kept quiet about my nightly sessions with New Business.

"What's going on there?" she asked.

"What_ isn't _going on there?" Ben asked as we exchanged knowing glances.

"Sounds worse than normal," Emmett said, looking as concerned as Angie as he ate his pizza.

"Since Bella came onboard, we've got at least ten new people now," said Ben. "So we're overcrowded for one thing."

"Plus, there's a lot more structure in the groups," I said, "so there's team meetings and training sessions all the time."

"The work in the finance group isn't really affected by all the changes," Ben said, "but we've noticed all the stress on the other groups. Things are getting way better, but it's a little nuts right now."

"And," I said, looking at Emmett with a smirk, "the sales team can't seem to find one person to replace Mr. McCarty here, so they've been scrambling to come up with a way to bring in new business."

"What can I say?" New Business said smugly. "I'm irreplaceable."

They fell out laughing as I continued.

"Edward decided to give some of the sales reps a shot at new business instead of having one main lead person do it," I said.

"Who?" Emmett asked.

"Seth, for one," I said. New Business smiled fondly as he thought of his former assistant.

"And Tanya."

"Good god," he replied as we laughed again.

"Even I've heard about Tanya," Angie said, shaking her head.

"They're also stepping up the marketing to try to bring in more clients too," I said.

"What'd they do for marketing before?" Angie asked.

"That would be a big fat nothing," Ben said as we cracked up again.

Ben and I told them a little more about the happenings at ATS as Angie and Emmett listened attentively.

"I didn't know you were doing so much," Emmett said. "Add me and my family into the mix, and no wonder you're so tired."

"It sounds like you're doing a lot more than being a writer around there," Angie said a little angrily. "You should get a raise."

"And a promotion," Ben said.

"Amen," said Emmett.

"Thanks," I said, really touched by their concern for me. "But you know me, I've already made my feelings known on that matter."

"That's my girl," Angie said with a big grin.

After lunch, and the end of the Call of Duty game, Angie and Ben invited Emmett and I to go to the movies with them, but I was simply too tired.

"Thanks for the cake," Ben said, holding up the portion Angie had wrapped up for them to take to his house.

"A word of warning," I said. "Don't be the one to eat the last of it. Angie might hurt you."

They laughed on their way out of the door.

"You sure you're okay?" Emmett asked as he watched me collapse onto the sectional after they left.

"I'm fine now," I said, snuggling up against the large cushions.

"Are you sure you're not ...?"

"We've only been having sex for less than two weeks," I said with a chuckle. "I don't even know if I'd be able to tell by now."

"Good point," he said.

"I'm really just tired," I said. "I know everybody seems to think that I'm superwoman, but I'm not. I've never had a challenging job like this before or a serious boyfriend. I have to get used to it all."

New Business smiled widely at "boyfriend."

"Then, yesterday," I said, "that same boyfriend got me all worked up about meeting his family."

Emmett grinned sheepishly as I continued.

"So, like I keep saying, it's been a long week. I think I'm entitled to one Saturday of sleeping in late and lounging around."

"Okay, okay," he said as he leaned over and kissed me. "Guess I'll call Liam and tell him we can't make it."

"What about Liam?" I asked after I finished yawning.

"Liam wants us to come over to their place for dinner tonight," he said. "He hates that you saw him like that last night."

"What about tomorrow?" I asked.

Emmett grinned. "That'll be fine. I'll call him now."

He called his brother immediately and they agreed on a time for tomorrow.

"He's a good guy. He's just got a temper sometimes," Emmett said. "You'll love him once you get to know him."

I wanted to reply but falling asleep again prevented me from doing so.

* * *

When Emmett and I arrived at Gianna and Liam's home, Gianna immediately asked me to take a look at her résumé. Kim was at Maggie's, so it was just the four of us.

"Thanks for taking a look at this," Gianna said as I sat beside her in front of her computer.

"No problem. You can send it to Jasper now and copy me," I said as I wrote down our e-mail addresses for her to type in. "I'll talk to him in the morning."

"You really think she's got a shot?" Liam asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "We really need someone," I said simply.

She'd already told him about the job and like Gianna, Liam seemed hopeful but wary.

"And you'd be okay with me working there?" Gianna asked Emmett, who'd been pretty quiet while we made some edits to her résumé and cover letter.

New Business looked at me before he answered.

"I wouldn't want you working for my old boss Edward," he said. "You'd never get ahead there working for him. But if this job reports to Jasper, I know you'll be treated fairly. And Bella will be there and Alice too, and I know they'll help you."

"I still say this sounds too good to be true," Gianna said.

Emmett and I both laughed.

"I said those same words my first day," I replied. "The pay's good and the office and building are beautiful, but there are some nasty people working there. They're good at their jobs but that doesn't make them good people."

"Those are always the people who_ have_ the good jobs," Liam said as he shook his head.

"And let's face it, Gianna, you're very attractive, and some of the people there are really catty," I said as Emmett chuckled. "It's kind of like high school."

"The women, you mean?" she asked.

I nodded. "Not all of them," I said, "but enough of them behave like that to make you uncomfortable at first."

"Some of the guys are real assholes too," Emmett added.

"You just need to go in with the right attitude," I said.

"Not many people can handle it," Emmett said. "That's why there's so much turnover."

"I needed a job and I told myself, 'No matter what these people throw at me, I'm not quitting'," I said. "And I've had some shitty things said about me, but I just keep my head up and do my job."

"It does sound like high school," Gianna said with a chuckle.

"One day, I went into the break room," I said, "and one of the girls from one of the nastier cliques said, 'Instead of getting her tits done, she should have gotten ass implants'."

Gianna and Liam instantly burst out laughing, while Emmett leaned back in his seat and looked at my butt.

"What's wrong with your ass?" he asked with a frown. "I like it. And your tits are real. You don't have implants."

His high level of indignation caused us all to laugh harder.

"Thank you," I said with a chuckle as I leaned up and gave him a kiss.

"Who said that to you?" he asked when he stopped laughing.

"Irina," I said. He rolled his eyes.

"I just brought that up to give an example of what you might have to deal with if you get hired," I said to Gianna. She and Liam exchanged smirks.

"Bella, if I get the job and they wanna go all mean girl on me," she said as Liam laughed, "trust me, they'll be sorry."

"She was the queen of the mean girls in high school," Liam said.

"They might leave you alone then," I said. "They might recognize you as one of their own."

Again, we cracked up laughing.

"Let's hope it doesn't even come to that," said Emmett, turning far more serious than the rest of us. "I know some assholes work there, but if you can get this, it'll mean a paycheck at least."

"And money is money, and I need some, no matter what kind of people I have to deal with," Gianna said.

"That's the ATS spirit," I said, causing still more laughter.

Emmett and I ate dinner and talked with Liam and Gianna for hours.

"I'm glad you suggested this," I said to Liam when he hugged me on my way out of the door.

"I'm glad you came," he said. "I'm sorry for last night. I really wanted to make a good impression."

"You made an impression all right," I said as I chuckled.

He smirked at me. "You know what I mean."

I nodded and smiled as I walked away but he called out to me.

"Just be good to my brother," he said when I turned. "He's a good man, way better than me. He deserves to be happy."

"Don't worry," I said. "He's in good hands."

* * *

**A/N: **

**So we've met Emmett's fam! Poor Bella's got a lot on her plate right now, but I think she's doing a great job of managing it all. **

**I hope to have Chapter 5 up soon. As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5 OUTTAKES FROM CHAPTER 4

**A/N: **

**1. Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**2. Chapter 4 ballooned on me. I cut two scenes that I **_**really **_**wanted to keep because (1) they give a little more insight into Bella's world at work and (2) some of these characters *may* have small, but key, roles in future scenes ;0)**

**3. Actual lead-in text from Chapter 4 is shown in italics.**

* * *

**New Business Guy, Chapter 5:  
OUTTAKES FROM CHAPTER 4**

**BPOV**

**I. Seth, Sales Assistant**

_Heidi knew the ins and outs of the sales team extremely well, so what information she didn't have in her notes, she knew off the top of her head._

We made great progress and I actually had a good time working with her. However, as Heidi and I worked, I noticed that someone else clearly wanted to talk to me: Seth, also from the sales team, passed by my office several times. New Business had always spoken highly of his baby-faced assistant. Though Seth's nice-guy demeanor was in stark contrast to the rest of the sales group, his overall look fit right in with them. Seth was tall and lean, with smooth coppery tan skin, big clear-brown eyes, and short jet-black hair which he always wore in a stylish cut.

When Heidi and I took a break for lunch, I'd planned to stop by Seth's desk to ask what he wanted, but he found me first.

"I know you're busy," he said anxiously, "but do you have a few minutes to talk? It's kind of important."

"Sure," I replied with a smile. "Let me grab my purse and we can go out for a quick lunch, if that's okay."

"Thanks," he said with a wide grin. "That's perfect."

"What have you been up to since Emmett left?" I asked as we walked. I'd actually wondered whether he'd be fired.

"Not much," he replied. "That's what I want to talk to you about."

My heart just about broke for him. Emmett told me that Seth took this job fresh out of college just a few months before I started. He looked so young, and on the sales team, without Emmett, Seth seemed like a lost little lamb amongst a gang of hungry lions.

"I talked to Emmett the other day," Seth said once we left the building. "He told me to tell you 'hello'."

I chuckled, reminded that only Alice and Jasper knew about our relationship.

"Did he?" I remarked, unable to stop smiling. "Thanks for the message."

We went to Jenks, and I grew a little sentimental when we entered the busy restaurant. I hadn't come here in about a month, not since Emmett met me here to tell me he was leaving.

I sighed. Now that New Business and I had become intimate, I encountered reminders of him everywhere. This morning, I'd spoken to a neighbor in the parking lot, noting that he wore the same ridiculous-looking neon Nike sneakers that Emmett loved and I despised. Then, at the gas station, I'd smelled Emmett's cologne on a man using a nearby pump. Here now, in the bustling lunch crowd at Jenks, I noticed a man wearing a black and gray paisley tie, similar to my favorite tie of Emmett's. For the umpteenth time, I wondered just how I was supposed to balance my relationship with the other aspects of my life when thoughts of Emmett consumed me.

Seth's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"This is together," he told the cashier as he paid for his lunch and mine.

"What a gentleman," I said as he grinned. We managed to find seats, and Seth began speaking without delay.

"It figures the one day I need to talk to you, you get stuck with Heidi all day."

"So what's going on?" I asked. "I'm happy to help if I can."

"I need your advice," he said. "You're one of the few people I really trust around here, and I know you'll give me an honest opinion."

"I'm intrigued," I said.

"Since Emmett left, I've been forgotten about basically," he said. "I've been trying to look busy and make sure I follow up on a few things he was working on, but I don't wanna get fired."

"I don't blame you," I said. "Jobs are hard to come by. What can I do to help?"

"Everybody's talking about the big sales meeting tomorrow," he said. "We know some major changes are going to be announced."

"Yeah, I found out about the meeting the hard way," I said as he laughed.

"Tanya told everybody that she's going to start working new business and she said a couple other people are too."

"Leave it to Tanya to blab everything," I said. That woman talked, and instigated, from the time she came to work in the morning until the time she left each evening.

"This is one time I'm glad she did," Seth said before he took a deep breath.

"I'd like to be a full-fledged sales rep, not just an assistant, and I'd really like to be one of the new business reps."

"Really?" I asked, so surprised I forgot that I had a mouth full of sandwich.

"Really," he replied. "I have a big family and I know a lot of people from college and my fraternity too. I know a bunch of people who own their own businesses and I know ATS could help them grow."

"Have you talked to Edward?" I asked as he grimaced.

"That's the thing," he said. "He just sees me as a kid. I don't think he likes me much since Emmett left."

"It's not about liking you," I said. "It's about bringing in clients. And it sounds like you could do that. They might not be huge accounts, I don't know, but ..."

"But I know enough of them where the quantity might bring in a decent amount of money," Seth said. "That's why I wanted to talk to you."

"I'm not sure what I can do," I said. "Had you ever mentioned any of this to Emmett?"

"I'd planned to," he said. "But he was always so busy on his own leads I never had a chance. He brought in some_ big _accounts. What I'm talking is small compared to what he did."

"It sounds like you've got a great plan," I said. "You don't need me. You really need to talk to Edward."

"After I heard what Tanya said, I managed to catch him before he left this morning," Seth replied. "I asked him if we could meet when he gets back today and he agreed."

"Good for you," I said. "That shows initiative."

He smiled, but still looked nervous. "What's the problem?" I asked.

"Here's where I needed your advice," he said. "When I talk to him, I figure he'll want to know what leads I have, to see if I'm for real."

"But you don't want to tell him because he might take your leads and give them to someone else," I replied, finally catching on to why Seth wanted to talk to me.

"Exactly," he said, looking relieved that I understood.

"Sales is so cutthroat," I said, giving a little shiver as Seth laughed.

"It is," he said with a grin, "but I think it's exciting. And, rumor has it, the reps are finally gonna get commission, and that would mean so much more money."

I nodded and Seth took another deep breath.

"Do you think I even have a shot at being a rep?" he asked. "I know you'll give me an honest answer and that's why I wanted to talk to you. Everybody treats me like some kid. But I'm 22. I work hard, I've got a lot to offer."

I sighed myself and delayed giving him an answer by taking another bite of my sandwich. When I finished it, I spoke.

"I think it's great that you're taking your career seriously," I said. "Under normal circumstances, I'd say you should get a little more experience before taking on a sales rep job."

His face fell, and he looked as if I'd crushed his very soul.

"Not finished," I said as he gave a sad chuckle. "But nothing about ATS is normal. Heidi's the senior person on the team and she hasn't been here a year. You've already been in the department over six months yourself, which puts you at an advantage over some of the brand-new reps."

"I think so too," he said. "Nobody's been here very long except for Edward and the rest of the chiefs."

I nodded in agreement. "Quite honestly, I think this is a great time for you to step up and say 'Hey, this is what I can offer'. I think it's a great idea."

"Thanks!" he said with a blinding grin. "Your opinion means a lot to me."

I may have blushed when he said that.

"Now about the leads," I said, "I'd tell Edward basically what you told me. Keep it vague. Don't give him any specific company names. Just say, my aunt owns a bakery, or my friend owns a deli."

"He might want names though," Seth said anxiously.

"Tough shit," I said as he laughed. "Your leads are your leverage. You can't just hand them over to him for nothing. The most I would give him would be a specific number. Like, 'I have 17 potential leads.' I actually think he'd appreciate you showing a little toughness."

"I'm tougher than I look," he said smugly.

"To have lasted six months with that sales team, you'd have to be," I said as he laughed again.

"I can't thank you enough for this," he said. "I feel much better."

"Anytime," I said. "And thank you for lunch."

"No problem," he said. "We should probably get back."

"Unfortunately, yes, we should."

* * *

**II. Peter, Marketing Director and Jared, Graphic Designer**

_We listened as Caius outlined his plans for marketing; Peter and Jared both asked careful, pointed questions to gain a clearer understanding of his vision. _

When Caius left and closed the door, they really opened up.

"_Finally_, we get some real work to do," said Peter, a stocky man who shared my casual tastes when it came to his work attire. I'd never seen Peter wear a suit or tie; instead, he generally wore striped button-down shirts and casual slacks. However, Peter clearly cared a great deal about one aspect of his appearance: his red hair and beard were always neatly trimmed and perfectly maintained.

"We've basically been making unnecessary updates to the website since we've been here," Jared said, eager to unload about the poor management of the team. "We've had no direction whatsoever, other than one meeting with Esme after I got hired."

I'd always felt that Jared looked how Seth would in about ten years. I found Jared incredibly attractive: he was tall and muscular with short dark hair, quite like New Business, though more tan and with piercing green eyes. Unlike Peter, Jared dressed to impress, always wearing carefully put together mixes of blazers, shirts, sweaters, and ties in a variety of colors and patterns. In short, Jared was_ very _easy on the eyes.

"I had my doubts that they were really serious about promoting at all," Peter said. "I wondered why they even hired me."

"Well, you'll have plenty to do now," I said calmly.

I chuckled as they both grumbled for several minutes longer now that they had a captive audience. I let them vent; I could certainly understand their frustration.

"So, it sounds like, from now on, ATS will have a booth at those tech conferences," I said when they settled down.

"That had to be your idea," Jared said with a grin. "They've never talked about that before."

"I can't take credit for that one," I said as they laughed. "Caius mentioned that he'd been thinking about it and asked me to take a look at the set-ups some of the other companies had at Web Tech to see if I thought it would work for us."

"Your verdict?" Peter asked as we laughed again.

"We definitely need one," I said. "When the people weren't in those boring seminars, they were in the convention area getting all the free stuff they could at the booths. There's my pile."

I gathered some of the brochures, booklets, tote bags, and other freebies I'd picked up at Web Tech. Jared and Peter examined them with more professional eyes than mine.

"There's some great materials here," Peter said. "People love freebies, and things like this can really get our name out there."

"Are these things really effective though?" I asked.

Peter looked at me like I'd sprouted an extra head, and Jared shook his head at me and guffawed.

"You just asked a marketing guy if marketing is effective," Jared said.

"My apologies, sir," I said to Peter, giving a fake curtsey from my seat as he laughed.

"In answer to your question," Peter said as he smirked at me, "freebies can be_ very _effective,_ if_ ..."

By the time Peter finished his long, animated spiel, Jared and I both were sorry I'd opened my big mouth.

"I was in charge of conference marketing at my last job," Peter said, winding down his speech. "I have tons of ideas for the booth."

"Obviously," Jared said as we laughed all over again.

"We'll definitely need reading material to pass out," I said, pointing to the brochures, cards, and folders I'd brought back.

"We can get real creative," Jared said as he examined a promotional card shaped like an iPad. "We've got great software and equipment."

"And a huge budget that we've never had to use before," Peter said.

"I'm working on a few other projects for Caius," I said. "But I've written a mission statement, goals, and a ton of other text that he's already approved. I'll forward some of that to you."

"That'll be awesome," Jared said. "I can do some real mock-ups now that we have actual text."

"It'll help flesh out the website too," Peter said.

I printed out some of the approved text and we spent the next hour or so discussing what text would work on the website versus what text would work for the print materials.

We ordered lunch in, and after it arrived, Peter stepped out to make a phone call. Jared quickly turned to me and surprised me with a question.

"So, have you talked to Emmett?" he asked.

"Why ask me?" I asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Because I know that you have," he replied as I laughed.

"How could you possibly know that?" I asked, unable to contain my grin.

"Bella, I like to watch people," he said. "And watching you and Emmett when he was here was _highly _entertaining."

I stared at him as I grinned, and he stared back at me as if daring me to deny what he'd seen.

I relented. Jared was one of the good guys at ATS; he didn't engage in any drama.

"Yes, I've talked to him," I said, knowing he'd take my exact meaning from those few words.

"Where'd he go again?" he asked.

"Summit-Meyer Technology Products," I replied.

"Oohh, they're big time," he said.

"So I'm realizing," I replied.

"No chance of him back here then?"

I snorted as Jared laughed. "I wouldn't hold my breath," I said.

I thought he would tease me more, but he turned surprisingly serious. "You two are really good people. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Jared," I said quietly. He nodded, and I knew he'd keep what he suspected to himself.

"I'm just happy you're here period," he said. "The best thing Caius ever did was hire you."

"Thanks," I said, touched by his words. "I've just tried to do what he's asked of me."

"Because of you, this place is really shaping up, and I'm thankful," he said. "I need this job, and despite some of the people, I like it here. A lot actually. But with no direction, I've been worried sick they'd get rid of marketing altogether. In this economy, a lot of companies are. These jobs are harder to come by."

"It's hard to find a job no matter what field," I said. "And you're not the only person who was worried. Almost everybody I talked to when I did those assessments felt the same way."

"I think the chiefs, well, except for Esme, really do want this place to work," he said. "They know what they're doing for their specific teams, but Caius is the only one who really seems to know how to run the whole business."

"I've noticed that too," I said, "and yet, the chiefs don't want to give him any credit for keeping this place running. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen."

"I'd love to be a fly on the wall at their Thanksgiving," he said as I cracked up laughing. "Instead of turkey, they probably eat the weak members of the family for dinner."

Peter returned then, and all talk turned back to marketing even as we finished our lunch.

_Peter, Jared, and I spent most of the day discussing the types of marketing materials we would create; then we made a schedule of completion dates for the various drafts. I found that just like with Heidi, I enjoyed working with the marketing team. _

When Peter and Jared left, Caius unsurprisingly called me in for a status meeting, after which I returned to my office and prepared to go home. Just as I put my coat on, Seth stopped by.

"Got a minute?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Always for you," I said. He entered and shut my office door behind him.

"Edward's giving me a shot at new business," he exclaimed.

"Congratulations!" I said.

"I wanted to tell you earlier, but you were busy," he said.

"I'm popular, what can I say?" I replied.

Seth laughed. "He set a target for the number of clients he wants me to bring in, and if I meet it in a month, he'll make me a permanent new business rep."

"I hope you got that in writing," I said, not trusting shady ass Edward.

"I did," Seth said as he laughed. "He even announced in the meeting that me and Tanya are focusing on new business."

"This is what you want, so I'm really happy for you," I said. "You'll be great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm ready to get the hell out of here."

"Sorry," he said brightly, "have a good evening."

I planned to do just that. New Business would be joining me for dinner... and, hopefully, some _dessert_.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this little extra ;0)**

**To keep up with the chapter numbering here on ffnet, I'm making this chapter the "official" chapter 5 (even though it's only outtakes). I hope to have Chapter 6 (the next full chapter) up soon. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight.**_** I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**Thanks for all the reviews! I enjoy reading everyone's thoughts and comments.**

* * *

**New Business Guy, Chapter 6**

**BPOV **

When I arrived at work on Monday of Thanksgiving week, I saw Jasper walking away from my office. He held several pieces of paper in his hand.

"Hey, Jasper," I called.

"Hey yourself," he replied as he looked up and grinned. He turned, followed me inside, and instantly sat down in front of my desk.

"This Gianna McCarty," he said, "is she Emmett's sister or sister-in-law?" He looked down at the papers, which I now realized were copies of her résumé and cover letter.

"How do you know she's either?" I asked as I hung up my coat.

"Because she copied you on the e-mail she sent me," he said. "I know you're involved, which means he probably is too."

"She's his sister-in-law," I said, smiling.

"Probably shouldn't let that get out around when she starts," he said.

"You have to meet her first," I said, trying to contain my excitement.

"Bella, at this point, she'd have to be completely incompetent not to get this job," he said. "I _have _to get it filled."

I did a happy dance inside.

"I was planning to get a temp in here this week while I lined up some more interviews for it," he said.

"Why didn't you get a temp when Ashley left?" I asked.

"Because Caius and Edward are paranoid," he said, "and they don't like using temps."

"What?" I asked with a chuckle. "Why?"

"They're afraid of a temp coming in, somehow getting a hold of the client list and leaving with it," he said.

"That_ so _sounds like the both of them," I said, shaking my head.

"I might do it anyway, no matter how they feel," Jasper said. "I need somebody in that job. Caius chewed me_ out _for asking you to fill in last Wednesday."

"I'm sorry about that," I said. "But Gianna could start soon."

"That's what she said in the e-mail," he replied. "My contact from her last job said she hardly ever missed a day in all the time she worked ..."

"Wait, you called her old job already?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, smirking at me. "I've worked in HR, in Seattle, for ten years. I have connections. I work fast."

"Didn't mean to doubt your skills," I said as I chuckled again.

"We've had a few people come here from Eclipse, and they've all been hard workers."

"Eclipse?" I asked.

Gianna and Liam had been let go with a lot of other people from the same company; it must have been this Eclipse that Jasper just mentioned.

"EclipseCorp," he said. "They were a big employer in the area for years until they folded. They fired a ton of people in the last year or so, and they closed altogether this past January. I know all the HR people who used to work there."

I nodded as I listened. Being still relatively new to Seattle, I didn't know these types of things.

"I don't know Gianna as well as Emmett," I admitted. "But she's tough and ..."

"That's the main thing you need to be around here," Jasper said. "So I'm sold. I'll call her today. If she can come in tomorrow or Wednesday, I can interview her and check her references, then hopefully she can start on Monday."

"I'm pretty sure if you call her now, she can interview today." I chuckled as I said it, but Jasper's face lit up.

"If she can, and I'm busy when she gets here, is it okay to ask her to wait in here with you?"

"That's fine," I replied.

"Okay. I'm calling right now," he said as he left my office.

Not ten minutes later, Gianna called me.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she screamed. "I can't believe this. It's been _months_ since I got an interview. What should I wear?"

"Wear the most professional-looking thing you have," I said seriously. "You won't have to be that formal if you get the job, but for today, make it count."

"Jasper told me to bring references and come as soon as I can," she said hurriedly. "I'll call you when I get there. See you soon!"

I thought I'd feel relieved but now I felt even more nervous. I managed to pretend to do work for a little while and nearly jumped when the phone rang.

"Is she there yet?" Emmett asked.

"Not yet," I said. Clearly, word had spread through the family.

"She should be soon," he replied. "Keep me posted. Ma's flipping out."

"Don't you have meetings?" I asked. "I don't want to keep calling and get you in trouble."

"I had a big one early, but it's over," he said. "The rest of the day, and the week, it's back to my books."

Still in training at his new job, New Business told me that he spent most of his time studying Summit-Meyer's extensive product line. He said they even gave him tests on the products, and he had to write reports to his boss with questions and comments on what he'd reviewed each day.

"I'll call you when I know something," I said. "Bye."

Gianna arrived at close to 11 and I met her down in the building lobby.

"Fucking traffic," she said, though her eyes shined with excitement.

"You look great," I said, taking in her stylish black suit jacket and pencil skirt, cream-colored blouse, and black heels. She had her hair pulled back into a thick bun at the nape of her neck.

"Thanks," she said. "It was nice to go through the old work clothes again. I think I'm still in shock."

"I told you they move fast when they're serious," I replied, just as excited as Gianna. I hadn't been this anxious about my own interviews at ATS.

As we rode the elevator up to the tenth floor and walked through the lobby to my office, her eyes grew larger and larger at the sleek building and modern decor.

"This place is right out of a magazine," she said.

"It is nice," I said. "Do you need me to show you where the bathroom is before I call Jasper?"

"No, I'm fine," she said anxiously, "I fixed my face in the car. Just call him before my nerves get the best of me."

I called Jasper and he asked me to escort Gianna to HR right away. An hour later, she hadn't returned and I paced the floor of my office nervously. Again, my phone rang.

"She's not there yet?" Emmett asked, clearly annoyed.

"Shit, I forgot to call," I said. "She's here. She's still in with Jasper."

"That's a good sign I guess. Call me when you know more."

"I promise," I replied.

Another hour passed andI gave up trying to do work completely.

"She can't possibly still be interviewing," New Business said when he called the third time.

"She is," I said. "I told you I'd ..."

A rap on my door distracted me. There stood Jasper and a smiling Gianna. I motioned for them to come in.

"They're back," I said to Emmett abruptly. "I'll call you later."

"... coming on such short notice," Jasper said. "I'll be in touch very soon."

"Thank you," she said, "it was great meeting with you."

He closed the door and gave me a thumbs up behind her back before he walked off.

"What were you doing so long?" I asked as she sat in front of my desk. "I was a wreck in here."

She laughed. "He's super nice," she said, "and _hot._"

I laughed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jasper's hot. What took so long?"

"He had me do so much," she said eagerly. "He asked the usual interview questions, he had me test on Word and Excel to see how well I could use them, I had to type a sample memo, and then I had to write replies to some really nasty sample e-mails. I guess that was to prove that I can be professional no matter what."

"I didn't think it would be so involved," I said.

"I didn't either," she replied.

"After all that, he took me on a tour and showed me all the meeting rooms, and the schedule, and talked to me about how the job works," she said.

"Wow," I said. "I guess he really wanted to prepare you."

Gianna nodded in agreement. "When you told me about this job, I didn't see how it could be full-time, but now I do."

Suddenly, I noticed an eager-looking Caius approaching my office with a big grin.

"Hold on a sec," I said. "Here comes the big cheese."

"I've just been talking to Jasper," Caius said excitedly as he walked in and closed the door. "He told me we had an excellent candidate for the meeting services position."

"Yes, we do. This is Gianna," I said, purposely leaving out her last name. "Gianna, this is Caius Cullen, our CEO."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Cullen," she said, standing to shake his hand.

"Oh, call me Caius, please," he said. I didn't miss how he took in her whole appearance as he shook her hand.

"Are you working right now?" Caius asked, pulling up a chair beside her.

"Currently, no," Gianna said. "My job was eliminated as part of the downsizing at EclipseCorp last fall and I ..."

She couldn't finish because Caius jerked upright in his chair.

"That was a real bloodbath," he said, "so many good people let go."

"It was rough," she said, "and sudden."

"I used to do some consulting work with the finance group there before it all went to hell. What did you do?" Caius asked.

"I was an office assistant," she said.

"Who did you work for?" he asked with real interest.

"My boss was Samantha Wells, and our team worked under Marcus Volturi in the ..."

"You poor thing," he said with a smirk, interrupting her as she laughed. "If you can survive Marcus, you should have no problem here."

For easily the next twenty minutes, Caius and Gianna talked about people from EclipseCorp and the demise of the company. Gianna handled herself incredibly well, never badmouthing anyone even when Caius did.

They completely forgot about me as they talked, which caused me to chuckle. Soon, my phone rang again. Caius and Gianna didn't even notice, so wrapped up were they in their conversation.

"She can't still be there," Emmett said, sounding completely exasperated. "Ma and Liam are calling me every five fucking minutes. Tell me something. _Anything._"

"I can't really say right now," I whispered. "But it looks good."

"Call me as soon as you know," he said. "We're dying_._"

"Dramatic much?" I asked as I heard him laugh.

Jasper knocked on the door startling all of us.

"Gotta go, this might be it," I whispered as I unceremoniously ended the call.

"Hate to interrupt, but I think my news is worth it," Jasper said with a huge grin. "If you could come with me to HR, we can talk ..."

"I can't stand it," Gianna said, "please just tell me now."

Caius and I listened in eagerly; I for one was happy to eavesdrop.

"Okay," Jasper said. "I contacted all of your references while you were testing and I just heard back from the last one. All three had great things to say. I checked all your tests and they were fine too. So, the job is yours if you want it."

"Thank you," Gianna exclaimed as she grinned from ear to ear.

"Congratulations," I said. I wanted to jump up and hug her, but I showed restraint in the interests of professionalism.

"Let's get you to HR and make it official," Caius said excitedly. "We need you in that job right away." I laughed, amused at how easily he'd fallen in with Gianna.

She barely got out a final "Thanks so much, Bella" before they ushered her back to HR.

I didn't care that Gianna should be the one to give the good news. I called Emmett instantly.

"SHE GOT IT!" I shouted when he answered.

"Thank God," he said, sounding incredibly relieved.

"I don't know anything else, but Caius loves her," I said as he laughed. "She's in HR now, with him and Jasper. I'm sure she'll call Liam soon."

"Okay. Thanks. Bye," he said, hanging up on me this time. I couldn't get upset; I knew the whole family was eager to know.

Not quite half an hour later, Gianna returned with a packet of HR materials in her hand.

"All set?" I asked.

"Yeah. I just can't believe it," she said, looking dazed. "I thought they would do like a criminal check or a drug test, but I'm all done."

"They probably should with some of these people," I said as she laughed. "So, you start on Monday?"

"I start tomorrow," she said, still looking shocked.

"Tomorrow?" I shrieked.

"Jasper showed me the schedule," she said. "We have meetings lined up all this week, except Thursday."

"Even Friday?" I asked.

She nodded. "There's a client meeting and an I.T. team meeting on Friday morning. Caius said if I can come in to handle those, I can leave right after but he'll make sure I get paid for the whole day, and I'll get paid for Thanksgiving even though I just started. I can't turn that down."

I'd been pretty surprised to learn that ATS would be open this Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Caius, however, had approved my request, and Alice's, to have that day off.

"Okay," I said. "I'm happy for you then."

"I've gotta call Liam," she said as she rummaged around in her purse for her phone.

"I think he maybe knows," I said nervously.

She laughed. "I'm sorry, Bella," she said as she dialed. "I'm sure they've been calling you all day."

She called Liam and talked briefly; this time, I actively tried to _not_ listen in.

"I need to go," she said when she ended the call. "I didn't think I'd be here so long. Kim'll be home from school soon."

"I'll walk with you," I said.

I grabbed my purse and walked Gianna down to the parking garage; we talked the entire time.

When we reached her car, she turned and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you so much, Bella," she said. "I would have never known about this if it wasn't for you. We need the money so bad."

"You're welcome," I said. "See you in the morning."

* * *

I decided to take my lunch break, and used it to walk around outside in an effort to clear my head. I was a little surprised by how emotionally involved I'd been in this whole deal. New Business's family had already become important to me.

I returned to the office and almost ran right into Caius.

"I'm starting to think you have a GPS chip on me somewhere," I said.

"I can't let you get away," he replied with a chuckle as we walked to my office.

"I know you love the library room," he said, "but I've decided to put Gianna in there."

"That makes sense," I replied, "it's right near the other conference rooms."

"The last two meeting services people were in a cubicle in I.T.," he said. "In retrospect, that may not have been a good idea."

"Not one of your best ideas," I replied.

"Jasper and Alice are down in the library now, making it look more like an office," he said. "I'd like for you to bring all the books from there and keep them in here. You have enough space for them. I'm leaving for a client visit but when I get back, I want to meet with you."

I nodded my head at sporadic intervals as he talked. Caius thrived on change and chaos; he was almost glowing from all the activity of the day.

I grabbed a cart from the mailroom and approached the library in time to see Jasper, along with Ben and Jake from finance, carrying a large table down the hall. Alice sat inside of the library, putting supplies into a desk the guys must have moved in earlier.

"Hey," I said as I maneuvered the cart. "It really looks like an office now with that table gone. She'll love it."

"I think so too," Alice said. "Jasper was really impressed with Gianna. I saw her, but I didn't get to meet her. How does Emmett feel about her working here?"

I didn't even have to ask how she'd found out about Gianna: what Jasper knew, Alice knew, and vice versa.

"He didn't want her to work for Edward," I said after I closed the door, "but since she won't have to deal with him much, he's okay with it. He knows we'll help her."

"Caius asked Jasper to type up a big memo to everybody with new rules for the meeting rooms," Alice said. "That should make things easier on her."

"I hope so," I said as I started to remove books from the shelves.

"Do you mind if we move these bookshelves to your office?" Jasper asked me when the guys returned. "There's not much room left in storage."

"That's fine," I said.

Alice retrieved another cart from the mailroom and the five of us moved the books and bookshelves from Gianna's new office to mine. Of course, our efforts didn't go unnoticed.

"Don't we have _people_ to be moving stuff?" asked Jessica, Edward's snotty assistant and vice president of the Bitch Brigade. We'd just passed her - - and the Brigade president, Tanya - - in the hall.

"Moving furniture and pushing heavy carts is_ not _in my job description," Tanya said as she watched us disdainfully.

"Nobody asked you to help so it's really none of your business," I replied, wheeling my cart along as the guys laughed.

"I'm not surprised to see you like this," Jessica said to me. "You do_ whatever _Caius wants."

"And I'm great at _everything _he asks me to do," I said in a breathy, seductive voice. I knew exactly what she was insinuating; I'd heard it all before.

"I bet you are," Jessica replied acidly. "I'm sure you've had tons of practice."

"Hey, Jess," Alice said, "there's free food in the kitchen from the last client meeting. I put some right in your feed bin. Run along now. It's ready and waiting. I know you want it."

"C'mon, Jess," Tanya said angrily, "if they want to act like the help, just let them."

Alice and I laughed all the way down the hall to my office. When Jasper, Jake, and Ben arrived right after us with the bookshelves, they looked at us and shook their heads.

"You two are vicious," Jake said as he cracked up laughing.

"I'm sure there was some harassment in there somewhere," Jasper said as he too laughed. "I should probably be writing somebody up."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Ben said to me with a smirk. "I don't _ever _want to get on your bad side."

Alice and I simply laughed.

"Who cares about them?" Alice said. "They're classic bullies."

"Exactly," I said as the guys continued to laugh. "When you turn the tables on them and don't let them upset you, they don't have shit to say."

The guys ended up having to do some rearranging in my office to fit the bookshelves in with the rest of the furniture in my office, and we talked and laughed the entire time.

"You know," Jasper said, "Ashley, the last meeting services person, found a box of condoms in a cabinet in conference room four. Some of them were missing."

"Nasty," I yelled as I scrunched up my face.

"Eeewww," said Alice as she cringed.

"No fucking way," Jake said while he laughed.

"It's even worse when you consider that all the walls are glass around here," Ben said, causing us to absolutely scream with laughter.

We continued to talk as we arranged my office and put all the books away. In what seemed like no time at all, we were done.

"I'll take this cart back," Ben said.

"Thanks," I replied, smiling. I'd really grown to like Ben; he was a good guy and he made Angie very happy.

"I know you're not the _moving people _or the _help_," Jasper said, imitating Jessica and Tanya as we laughed again, "but thanks for doing all this. You all really help make this place a real team."

They left then, and I finally settled down enough to get ready for my meeting with Caius. It didn't matter what I'd prepared though: he wanted to talk about something new entirely when he returned. It was clear that I'd become a real confidant and sounding board for my hyperactive boss.

Despite having accomplished very little in the way of work, my day had been unexpectedly stressful, active, and long; I eagerly anticipated going home. I decided to call Emmett to see if he was coming over. I discovered that I'd missed several more calls from him.

"Yes, New Business?" I said when I called him back.

"Did you have any big plans tonight?"

"No," I replied. "Do you have something in mind?" My body tingled at the mere thought of a night with New Business.

"Not quite what you think," he said with a chuckle. "We're all over at Liam and Gianna's to celebrate, but she's freaking out about not having the right clothes for work. When you leave, could you come here and talk to her? She won't listen to me."

"Sure," I said. "I'm actually in the car now."

"You remember how to get here?" he asked.

"I do," I said. "See ya soon."

* * *

"She's being a fucking drama queen," Liam stated as soon as he opened the door. I had no idea why he always seemed so angry and annoyed, but the family ignored his harsh demeanor.

"Hello, Liam," I said as he and Emmett laughed.

"Thanks for coming," Emmett said after we kissed in greeting.

"Hi, Miss Bella," said Henry, jumping up from the couch to hug me.

"Hi," I said as he just as quickly returned to his seat and the cartoons he'd been watching.

Liam pointed me up the stairs, as he and Emmett followed. I didn't need further direction; I just followed the noise.

Maggie, Emily, Austin, and Kim sat on a large bed in the master bedroom while Gianna frantically looked through clothes in her closet. Around the room, more clothes had been pulled out of dresser drawers, hung over chairs, and stacked on the dresser.

"Hi, Miss Bella!" said Kim, running over to hug me.

"Hi," I said to the room at large as I returned her hug.

"Miss Bewwa!" Austin yelled. He started jumping up and down until Emily stopped him.

"Bella, I have nothing to wear," Gianna cried. "I can't afford to go out and get all new clothes."

"You don't have to," I said, looking around the room. "You have plenty of really nice things right here."

"That's what I said," Liam grumbled, peering in from the doorway with Emmett.

"Hush," Maggie said, looking sympathetically at Gianna, "you boys don't understand."

"Why don't you sit down and let me pick an outfit for tomorrow," I said.

"Thanks," Gianna said.

I stood in the doorway of her closet and took a look around at the mounds of clothes. After several minutes, I spied the perfect outfit. When I pulled out a pair of cuffed navy slacks, Gianna immediately protested.

"I can't wear pants the first day," she said, her eyes wide as she stared at me.

"Yes, you can," I said. "For this job, you need to be comfortable. Unless you like wearing pantyhose, I'd go with pants."

Next, I pulled out a stylish white button-down shirt with three-quarter sleeves. Again, Gianna protested as soon as I touched it.

"It's not even long-sleeved!"

"Gianna," I said calmly, "sometimes you'll have to set up food trays and clear them away. When I did this job, I had on long sleeves and the cuff of my shirt dragged through a dish of honey mustard. I washed it off as best I could, but I could smell it all day. You don't want that."

"Good point," she said, looking much more relieved.

Finally, I selected a navy v-neck sweater vest with a gray and pink argyle pattern down the front.

"Pants, sweater vest, shirt," I said holding the shirt and vest together so she could see them. "That's your outfit for tomorrow."

"That's _way_ too casual," Gianna said incredulously. "Emmett went to work there in custom suits!"

"Emmett had to meet with clients," I said, calm again. "You won't."

"I said that," Emmett muttered from the doorway.

"Zip it," Maggie said to him, causing the kids and I to laugh. "She has to hear it from Bella. Bella understands."

I smirked at New Business who grinned back at me.

"I don't meet with clients at all, that's why I get away with more casual clothes," I said to Gianna who still looked concerned.

"I might see clients when I'm setting up the rooms," she said.

"But you're not trying to get them to sign a contract or lure them in," I said. "You just have to look clean, neat, and professional. This is perfectly fine."

"I don't work there, but I think that looks very nice," Maggie said.

"It's cute, Mom," Kim agreed.

"Thanks," said Gianna after letting out a long sigh. "I got home and started telling Liam and Maggie how fancy that office is and I started freaking out."

"I was the same way," I said. "It's very intimidating at first, but the most important thing for you is to wear what's presentable but comfortable. That includes your shoes too."

"She has shoes that'll go good with that," Kim said excitedly. She jumped up and pulled a pair of rather tall-looking navy wedges from the closet.

"Those are comfortable," Gianna mumbled as she looked over the entire outfit, including the shoes.

"One more thing," I said. "You should take a sweater or blazer to keep at your desk. They keep the temperature pretty cool."

She nodded and pulled a heavy black sweater from the back of a chair.

"So, can we get your endorsement on this outfit for tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess that's fine," she said.

"A-fucking-men," yelled Liam from the doorway as Kim and I laughed. "Can we eat now?"

"Bella, you'll have to get used to his mouth," Maggie said as she helped Austin jump down from the bed. "No amount of soap could clean it out when he was little."

Everyone cracked up laughing, even Emily, as they filed downstairs behind Liam.

"Bella," Gianna called, stopping me in my tracks.

"Thanks again," she said. "I've pretty much taken up your whole day."

"It's no problem at all," I said.

"I also wanted you to know that I told Caius that Em's my brother-in-law," she said. "I didn't want to hide that from him."

"What did he say?" I asked. "I made a point of not mentioning your last name."

"I noticed," she said with a smile. "He said Em was a great worker and that things shouldn't have ended the way they did with him."

I nodded. I believed Caius when he said that he regretted the way Emmett had been treated.

"Caius and Jasper said that some people on the sales team might hold it against me that I'm related to him," she said.

"They could introduce you using your maiden name, if you wanted," I said.

"That's what they said," Gianna replied. "But I think that's ridiculous."

She cut me off just as I was about to protest.

"If _anybody _talks shit to me about Emmett," she said, "I'll tell them to fuck off and go to hell."

"Gianna," I replied, "you complete me."

She howled with laughter as we made our way downstairs to join the others.

* * *

A week ago, Emmett hadn't even wanted me to meet his family. Now, I was having dinner with them for the third time in four days. They treated me like they'd known me for years.

Even now, they had no qualms about discussing family matters in front of me. Gianna, Emmett, and Liam sat to my left, having an involved discussion about whether Gianna should catch the bus to work, have Liam drive her each day, or drive herself and pay the discounted employee rate to park in the garage we used.

I offered to help, not because I had to but because I wanted to. However, they quickly shot down my offer.

"I could take ..." I began before being abruptly interrupted.

"No. It's completely out of your way," Emmett said, shaking his head.

"You got me the job," Gianna said, "I don't expect you to take me there too."

"Just no," Liam said, looking at me with an exasperated expression which caused me to laugh.

"For your information, I wasn't going to suggest coming here to pick her up in the morning," I said. "I was just going to offer to bring Gianna home in the evening if she doesn't drive in."

Again they all gave resounding "no's" and this time, Maggie weighed in on the matter as well.

"No, dear," she said. "You've done more than enough. We'll work it out, and we'll figure out what to do with Kim after school too."

That started another debate. Kim insisted that, at twelve, she was old enough to stay at home after school by herself until Liam or Gianna got home. Her parents actually seemed to agree, but Grandma Maggie was _not _going for it. As kindly as she seemed, Maggie laid down the law when she felt so inclined and her decisions appeared to be final.

As I listened to them intently, fascinated by the inner workings of the McCarty family, a little hand patted my arm.

"You not eat," Austin said accusingly. "Eat you food."

"I'm sorry," I said as I went back to eating, which seemed to please his little three-year-old heart. His mother, Emily, chuckled. Once again, she had yet to speak, though she seemed a little friendlier toward me this time.

"Did you bring more cake?" Henry asked suddenly.

"How could she bring more cake?" Kim asked. "She just came from work."

"Oh yeah," he said as they laughed together.

"They ate all your cake before I could try any," Liam shouted from the other end of the table. "Didn't even save me any."

"I'm baking another one for Thanksgiving," I said. "I'll send it with Emmett."

"You don't have to," Maggie said. "I didn't really mean for you to bake another one so soon."

"I'll be baking cakes all night on Wednesday," I replied. "One more won't be any trouble. Angie's mom won't let me in the house if I don't bring hers."

Emmett and Gianna laughed, while Maggie, Emily, and Liam looked at me with curious expressions. However, it was the younger set who decided they wanted more information.

"Who's Angie?" Kim asked. "Is that your sister?"

"Angie's my best friend. We're roommates," I said. "I don't have any sisters or brothers."

"What's roommates?" Henry asked.

"A roommate is someone you live with to help you pay all your bills where you live," I said, trying to give an explanation that a ten-year-old would understand.

"So it's just you and Angie?" Kim asked.

"Yes," I replied, stupidly thinking that would end this line of inquiry.

"Don't you have a family to live with?" Henry asked.

"I do, but not in Seattle," I replied.

"Where are they?" Kim asked.

"My dad, and Angie's family, all live in Forks, a few hours from here," I said. "My mom and her husband live in Phoenix."

"Phoenix is in Arizona," Henry said. "I know that."

"Henry knows all his states and capitals," Maggie said with pride. "He's so smart."

Henry blushed at his grandmother's praise and the sight about melted my heart. Too bad the inquisition still wasn't over.

"Why don't your mom and dad live together?" Kim asked. "Are they divorced?"

"Hey!" Liam yelled, causing me to jump in my seat. "Enough with the questions. This ain't a police station!"

"Jeez, we're just talking, dad!" Kim yelled back, rolling her eyes.

"Why do you have to live with your friend?" Henry asked. "Why don't you come live with us?"

The entire room went silent and I tried not to laugh. I didn't want to hurt Henry's feelings; he was very serious.

"You can stay with Uncle Em," Kim said, just as serious as Henry. "He's got a big bed and a couch in his room at Grandma's. The couch even pulls out."

At this, I burst out laughing, as did Emmett, Liam, and Gianna.

"That's enough questions," Maggie said to the kids. "Let Miss Bella eat her dinner in peace."

Henry and Kim looked a little hurt that we'd laughed, so I decided to try to soothe their feelings.

"I like your Uncle Em a lot," I said as New Business snorted, "but we're still getting to know each other and it's too soon for us to live together. Besides, I agreed to live with Angie and we still have bills to pay together."

"But when you finish your bills with her, then you could live with Uncle Em, right?" Kim asked.

"I could, yes, if that's what we both want," I said. Emmett's face had turned red in his efforts not to laugh again.

"Well hurry up and finish living with your friend," Henry said in a rather annoyed tone. "You could be living with us right now."

"I think we're ready for dessert," Maggie said quickly as all of us adults, even Emily, stifled our laughs.

Although I couldn't stop smiling at the kids' eagerness to have me in their lives, Henry's comments in particular made me incredibly sad. He obviously loved living there with Maggie and Emmett, no matter how crowded the home seemed to me. I couldn't help but wonder what Henry's life had been like before his father ran out on them. I had a feeling it hadn't been very good.

Perhaps Emily psychically felt me thinking about her because she suddenly spoke.

"Forks is near Port Angeles, isn't it, Bella?" Emily asked in her quiet voice.

"Yes, it is," I replied. "Have you been?"

She nodded and smiled, but said no more.

I passed on dessert but talked more with the family as they ate. I grew increasingly uncomfortable as the night wore on, in part because New Business started watching my every move.

"I think I'd better get going," I said after a while, feeling completely overwhelmed.

Emmett started to protest, but Maggie recognized the emotions that must have been plain on my face.

"It is getting late," she said.

"Thanks for coming," Gianna said as she hugged me. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Definitely," I said with a smile. After receiving hugs from Kim and Henry, and a sticky kiss on the cheek from Austin, I made my way outside with Emmett right behind me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at me with great concern.

"I'm fine," I said. "Long day."

He stared at me for a minute, but then leaned down and kissed me quickly.

"I'll see you tomorrow night?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'd come tonight, but ..."

"But there's too much going on right now," I said. "I understand."

Back at home in the quiet, empty apartment, a long soak in a warm, fragrant bath helped me clear my mind and reflect upon my current state of discontent.

After much introspection, I thought I had a good handle on what had me so vexed. Before Seattle, my life at work and with my family and friends had plodded along slowly without much change. However, since coming here, every relationship in my life had grown and developed at a startlingly rapid pace.

In the month since New Business told me he was leaving ATS and expressed his feelings for me, look how much had happened: we'd shared our first kiss, our first time, and our first date, we started sleeping together fairly regularly, and his family had readily welcomed me into their fold.

I simply wasn't used to so much familial interaction and involvement; it just wasn't what I knew, no matter how close Renée and I had always been. I also hadn't been in a real relationship before, so I had no expectation that it would move so fast.

I was doing my best to keep up with the rapid change taking place in my life. But so much had happened for me so fast, that it was all like a shock to my system, upsetting my inner sense of peace and well-being.

* * *

Tuesday morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. I missed New Business in my bed, but had he spent the night, I wouldn't have had the time to think and gain some perspective, which I'd very much needed.

When I walked outside to the parking lot, I almost screamed out loud when I saw Emmett, leaning against his car, which was parked in front of mine. I couldn't ever recall smiling so hard in my life.

"Excuse you, sir," I said, "you're blocking me in and I have to get to work."

"I know what I'm doing," he said with a smug grin as I flung my arms around him.

"Good morning," he said. "You look great."

"Fishing for compliments so early?" I asked as he laughed. "Not your style at all."

"I don't need to fish for compliments," he replied. "I know I look good."

I laughed quite loudly.

"I had to see for myself that you were okay," he said. "You had me worried last night."

"I was worried too," I said seriously. "I just didn't feel... right."

"I was_ really _worried," he said. "I'm not kidding."

"I'm not either," I replied. "I keep telling you that I'm still getting used to us, and still getting used to our relationship."

"And my family," he said knowingly.

"Yes," I replied. "Everything's happening so fast. I just need time to adjust."

He nodded, but his face fell a little and I hurried to explain.

"I think your family's great," I said. "But you have to understand, I've always been sort of on my own, even living with Renée."

"And my family's so close it's fucking ridiculous," New Business said, looking very relieved that I was being so open.

"I wouldn't say it like that," I said with a chuckle, "but I need to get used to your family, at my own pace."

"I told you they're a lot to take on," he said. "Believe me now?"

"I do," I said as he grinned.

"Thank you for telling me this stuff," he said. "If you had said 'I'm fine' one more time, I would've ..."

"You would've what?" I asked suggestively. "Punished me?"

"Without a doubt," he said, grinning down at me.

"I'd like to see you try to punish me," I said with a raised eyebrow.

"I think you might like it too much," he said as I cackled with laughter.

"We better get going," I said reluctantly.

"Listen," he said as he pulled me closer, "I don't want you worrying about Gianna all day. She can ..."

"Don't worry," I said. "I won't have time. I barely got anything done yesterday. With the short week, I _have_ to get some work done for Caius today."

"Okay," he said. "Because Ma's right. You've done enough."

* * *

I had honestly planned to stop by Gianna's office after I took my coat off, but my talk with Emmett made me later than I'd expected and Caius was waiting for me when I arrived.

"I wanted to give you a heads up," he said. "After this morning's meeting, I'll be asking you to stay behind with Riley and Laurent from I.T."

"Because?" I asked.

"The I.T. group is having a huge meeting on Friday, and I volunteered you to help prepare the materials, just like you did for the sales team last week."

_Well, this had the makings of a crazy day._

"Check your e-mail and I'll see you at the meeting," he said as he turned to leave. "It's actually almost time."

"Okay," I replied. "I'll be right down."

I saw why Caius wanted me to check my e-mails: we'd been instructed to read Jasper's memo about the new rules and procedures for the meeting and conference rooms prior to the meeting. It outlined in great detail everything that the meeting services associate was and, more importantly, was_ not _supposed to do. This simple document would make Gianna's job much less stressful.

I hurried down to the conference room, grateful to Alice for saving me a seat in the nearly packed room.

"Thanks," I said as she patted the seat beside her. I looked around for Gianna; I found her sitting on the front row across the aisle. She was talking and laughing with Laurent and a few other people. I caught her eye and smiled and she grinned back at me.

"Apparently, they all know each other from EclipseCorp," Alice said.

"That's great," I said. "You can never have too many friends around here."

"Good morning, everyone," Caius said as we greeted him in reply.

"I know we're all busy keeping our clients happy this short Thanksgiving week, so this won't be long.

"First of all," he said, "I'd like to introduce Gianna McCarty, our new meeting services associate." He smiled at Gianna who stood and turned to the room.

"Thank you, Caius. Hello, everyone."

Alice and I sighed when we heard a few snickers and whispers from the back of the room as Gianna sat down. We knew exactly who the culprits were without having to turn around.

"Welcome, Gianna. We're happy to have you onboard," Caius said with a big grin.

"I hope that everyone read Jasper's e-mail carefully," he said in a much more serious tone. "I asked Jasper to put those rules together to make it perfectly clear what the conference rooms are to be used for. There were too many abuses of the meeting rooms in the past."

Alice and I grinned at each other, recalling what Jasper told us yesterday about some of those meeting room 'abuses'.

"I'll be working with Gianna to make sure that _everyone_ is following the new rules and procedures," Caius said. "Do I make myself clear?"

He looked sternly around the room as we all said "yes" and "yes, sir".

Next, Caius made us aware of quite a few changes within the company: Heidi and Laurent had been promoted to newly created training positions on the sales and I.T. teams, respectively. He told everyone about Tanya and Seth shifting their focus to new business. Finally, he announced the creation of a new customer service team, which would be led by Riley of the I.T. group.

I took a little pride as I looked around the room; I'd suggested many of these new positions and restructures in my assessments.

"That's it for now," Caius said, "so if you can ..."

Unfortunately, Jessica interrupted him.

"Excuse me," she said in her grating, squeaky voice.

"Yes, Jessica," said Caius.

"I just wanted to say that I think it's great that we have somebody for meeting services now," she said, looking over at Gianna. "But can you make sure she does her job in the meeting rooms? The last cleaning woman didn't want to, you know, _clean._"

Tanya, Irina, and Maria - - the rest of the Bitch Brigade - - laughed amongst themselves. No one else seemed amused at all. I looked at Gianna, hoping that her feelings weren't hurt, but she was looking back at me chuckling and shaking her head.

The room fell silent as Caius glared at Jessica. When he spoke, his voice was so cold and menacing that I shivered a little.

"Since you clearly didn't read Jasper's memo, let me reiterate some key points. The meeting services associate is _not_ a cleaning woman, nor is she a maid or a waitress. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," mumbled Jessica.

"And because you're so concerned about cleanliness around here I have the perfect way for you to help," Caius said with a smirk. "It's been brought to my attention that the refrigerator in the kitchen is in desperate need of cleaning out."

Alice and I looked at each other and did all we could to keep from laughing out loud; we were the ones who complained to Caius. We'd already cleaned the refrigerator twice and we refused to do it anymore until some other people started helping. It was already stuffed full and gross again because people kept forgetting about the shit they put in there.

"I was going to ask for volunteers to clean it on a weekly basis," Caius said, "but I think you'd be perfect for the job. Every Friday afternoon for the next two months, you will clean out the refrigerator in the kitchen."

Several people around the room snorted and laughed. The Bitch Brigade looked absolutely enraged.

"How does that sound, Jessica?" asked Caius, clearly daring her to protest.

"Wonderful," she snapped.

She obviously wanted to say more, but she knew she'd gone too far. Edward looked furious about what Caius had demanded of his assistant, but he kept quiet too.

"That's it for the meeting," Caius said sharply. "I'd like for Bella, Riley, Laurent, and Rose to stay behind for a few minutes. And Jessica come with me. Now."

"I wish I'd recorded that on my cell phone," Alice said with a chuckle as she stood. "This is gonna be a fun day."

"Maybe for you," I replied as she left the room. I could already feel Rose's eyes burning into my back.

Everyone filed out of the room; many people stopped to introduce themselves to Gianna as they left. When Gianna finally stood to leave, she walked right over to me.

"I hate to say 'I told you so'," I said as she laughed.

"I definitely see what you mean," she said with a grin. "But I can play the mean girl game too. Let's hope they learned their lesson. Caius was awesome."

"He was," I said. "I'll try to stop by later."

She left the room, then turned and smirked at me through the glass when she passed by Caius, Jessica, and Edward in the hallway. My boss appeared to be verbally ripping Jessica to shreds as Edward unsuccessfully tried to intervene on behalf of his assistant.

"Congratulations," I said to Laurent after I moved to sit closer to him as Riley chatted with a sullen-looking Rose.

"Thanks," he replied with a twinkle in his dark-brown eyes. He took a moment to tuck one of his long dreadlocks behind his ear; he always kept one or two locks out near the front with the rest pulled back with a ponytail holder. Apparently, he hadn't missed my brief chat with Gianna.

"Did you work at Eclipse too?" he asked.

"No," I said. "Did you?"

"Yes," he replied.

"I didn't know that," I said.

"A few other people here came from Eclipse," he said. "I was lucky enough to get out before it closed. When I saw you talking to Gianna, I thought you might have worked there after I left or something."

I shook my head.

"You obviously know her already though," Riley said to me, leaning forward and jumping right into the conversation, his green eyes wide at the prospect of new gossip.

"Hey, watch that hair," I said, "it almost cut my arm." Riley and Laurent cracked up laughing. Riley was often teased about his carefully tousled blond hair which never seemed to move.

"Did you know Gianna before?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

They both clearly wanted to ask me more questions about how I knew her, but my steely glare wisely kept them from doing so.

"Her last name's McCarty," Riley said. "I wonder if she's related to Emmett?"

"I don't know," Laurent said. "Her husband worked at Eclipse, but I don't really remember him. It definitely wasn't Emmett though."

They both looked at me again with hopeful expressions.

"I'm not sure," I replied with a shrug.

"Aren't you?" Rose remarked snidely from behind me.

_Of course _she'd figured out that Gianna was related to Emmett in some way. Hadn't Rose always had her radar turned up high for all things Emmett-related?

I ignored her, and Caius soon entered the room.

"I'll make this quick," he said as he pulled a chair around to sit in front of us. "Last week's sales meeting was a huge success. I've had great feedback from all the reps. We've decided to have a similar meeting on the I.T. team. This Friday."

"You worked so well with Heidi," Caius said, "that I suggested you work with Laurent and Riley today and tomorrow to write up all the slides and materials that they'll need for the meeting."

"I'm happy to help," I replied.

"I have executive team meetings most of today," Rose said, finally deigning to speak. "But I've met with Laurent and Riley and they know what we need for Friday's meeting. I want the new client support team to run without a hitch and I want very specific documents to outline my expectations."

I could already tell that this would not be a one-day affair.

"And again," Caius said, "the projects you're working on for me can be pushed back until next week while you work on this."

"Okay," I replied as I looked at Riley and Laurent. "Are you ready now?"

They both hemmed and hawed about all the many things they had to do. I had to laugh at how important they tried to make themselves seem now that they'd been promoted and had new titles. Heidi from sales hadn't behaved like this at all.

"How about this?" I said, speaking over them. "I'll be in my office and you come when you're ready."

Caius chuckled.

"That's fine," Laurent said.

"Yes, that'll work," Riley agreed.

"I'll see you then."

* * *

The oh-so-busy Laurent and Riley both graced me with their presence about an hour after I'd left them. We spent the better part of the day creating a series of slides and outlines, covering much more material than had been required for the sales team. No way would we finish today, but we did succeed in clearly delineating what we needed to accomplish.

We'd been back to work for several hours after a brief lunch break when Chelsea, the receptionist, knocked on my door. I stood to open it for her because her arms were full: she carried a beautiful bouquet of roses. The gorgeous arrangement, in fall-themed hues of burgundy, cream, and orange, had been placed inside of a clear, square, amber vase.

"Bella, I hate to interrupt but these just came for you," she said excitedly.

"Thanks, Chelsea," I said, stunned as I took the arrangement from her and set it on my desk.

"They're beautiful," she said.

Chelsea stepped into my office, making no attempt to leave, while Laurent and Riley openly teased me.

"You got somebody _sprung_," Laurent said as he grinned at me.

"I count eleven roses," said Riley with a smirk.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Eleven roses means you own his ass," Riley said as they laughed again.

"Eleven roses means you are deeply loved," Chelsea said with a dreamy, faraway look.

"How do you all know this stuff?" I asked, trying not to become alarmed by the significance of what they were saying.

"I've sent a flower or two in my day," Riley said. "And trust me, I've never given anybody eleven roses."

"Neither have I," said Laurent as they laughed again.

"I've been a receptionist for years," Chelsea said. "I've learned a lot from the people who make the flower deliveries."

"The colors have meanings too," Riley said, looking very much like he was about to go into a long explanation.

"I think these colors just mean it's Thanksgiving," I said, interrupting him before he could go any further.

"Well, well, well," Caius said, suddenly entering my office too. "Looks like somebody has an admirer."

Rose was right behind him and when she saw my flowers, I could have sworn her whole face twitched.

"I'm glad this is so amusing for everyone," I said loudly as they all lingered. "I know what you're waiting for, and I'm not reading the card right now."

They cracked up laughing again, except for Rose, and Chelsea finally left.

"We just came to see what progress you three were making," Caius said as he pulled up a chair. Rose did too, though with great difficulty as she couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from my flowers.

I discreetly sent an e-mail to New Business to thank him; they had to be from him. I couldn't wait to read the card and call him, but I knew I wouldn't be able to for at least another hour.

He wrote back instantly, changing the subject line to "Thanks for what?" When I opened the message, he'd written: "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman."

_Gah!_ I couldn't wait until Caius and the I.T. crew got the hell out of my office.

We talked with Caius at length about what we'd come up with, and after several minutes, Rose pulled herself together and contributed to the conversation. With Caius and Rose sitting in, we were able to finalize the Powerpoint slides and make great progress on the rest of the materials as well.

While we worked, I noticed Alice, Gianna, Heidi, and several other women pass by my office, looking through the glass, directly at the flowers. Clearly, Chelsea had blabbed about them.

Finally, we wrapped up for the day. Rose practically ran from my office; Riley and Laurent followed soon thereafter with promises to see me in the morning. Before he left completely, Caius turned to me.

"The look of love," he said with a warm smile, "it becomes you." I rolled my eyes at him, causing him to laugh as he made his way down the hall.

Finally left alone, and free to read the card that had come with the flowers, I tore open the envelope. It read:

_Bella, _

_To not-so-flat asses,  
awesomely real tits,  
and a woman who  
epitomizes true beauty.  
You are so amazing,  
inside and out.  
Thank you for  
being you.  
- 'NB'_

Thank God I kept a box of tissues on my desk because after reading that note, I collapsed into my desk chair, leaned forward, placed my head in my hands, and burst into tears. Some higher power must have been watching over me because no one bothered me while I cried. Once I'd somewhat collected myself, I immediately called New Business.

"Got a minute?" I asked, still sniffling and clasping a tissue.

"I got a lifetime for you," he said, causing me to tear up even more.

_What was he trying to do to me? _I still had to finish work and make it home.

"Who the hell taught you how to use 'epitomizes' in a sentence?" I asked as he guffawed.

"My high-school English teacher was hot, what can I say? Maybe I paid a little more attention to her," he said.

"Thank you for my flowers, New Business," I said softly. "I love them."

"You're very welcome. I gotta run," he said. "But I'll see you tonight."

"Okay," I whispered as I ended the call.

I was simply no more good for the day, so I shut everything down. I decided to stop and see Gianna before I left. She sat in her office at her desk, typing rapidly.

"Those flowers were beautiful," she said with a warm smile after I knocked and she told me to come in.

"Yeah," I replied, tearing up again. "Did you know he was sending them?"

"No," she said. "But you deserve them. You've done so much for him, and for the family. You don't know the half of what you've done."

"Thanks," I said, sniffling and wiping my eyes as she smiled at me. "I had every intention of checking on you at least once today. How'd it go?"

"Busy," she said excitedly, "really really busy. But I liked it that way. Alice helped me tons, so don't worry. By the way, you didn't tell me how good the catering would be."

I laughed. "Yeah. The caterers they use for the meetings are pretty good. There's always something to eat around here."

"I might not ever need to bring lunch," she said with a grin.

"Did you have any problems?" I asked. "Other than Jessica?"

"Nope," she said. "Other people were more upset than I was over what she said in the meeting. I saw one of her little buddies in the bathroom, but she didn't say anything to me."

"Sounds like you had a good first day overall," I said. "You've really made it homey in here already." She'd placed pictures of Liam and Kim, as well as a few other knick-knacks, around the office.

"Thanks. I can't believe I have an office at all," she said happily.

"It does make life easier," I said. "Sometimes it's nice to shut the door on the nonsense."

"I like having my own little space," she said.

"Look, I'm leaving for the day," I said. "Don't bite my head off, but do you need a ride?"

"No," she said. "It's all arranged. You've done enough. More than enough."

I sighed. "Okay, I won't press the issue," I said. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

I placed my perfect flowers on the dresser in my bedroom so that New Business couldn't help but admire them when he arrived.

"Damn, those flowers are nice," he said with a huge grin. "Somebody must really like you."

"I'm still not convinced that you sent them," I replied, teasing him. "Maybe Caius did. 'NB' could mean 'Neat Boss'."

Emmett guffawed. "And how would your 'neat boss' know about your ass and your tits?"

"Hmmm, good point," I replied as I wrapped my arms around his waist and turned serious. "Thank you. They made my day."

"You're welcome, and I'm glad," he said as he gazed down at me.

"You stink," I said, sniffing at his shirt. He totally did not stink; he always showered at the gym. But he played along anyway.

"I just worked out," he replied. "I warned you but you told me to come anyway."

"I think you should take a bath with me," I said.

"And smell like that baby shit you use?" he asked with a smirk. "I don't think so."

I let go of him and laughed. I stripped my shirt off, then slowly removed my bra.

"Oh well," I said. "Guess you can just wait 'til I get finished."

His eyes darkened as he watched me strip.

"I guess that bubble bath doesn't smell_ that _bad," he replied.

"That's what I thought," I said with a smirk.

I went into the bathroom and bent over to start running the water in the tub. Almost immediately, I felt Emmett press against me as he leaned over and turned off the water.

"I'm vetoing the bath," he said huskily. "Showers are quicker."

Before I could reply, he ran his large, warm hands over the cheeks of my ass, causing me to moan.

"You look so hot bent over like that," he said as he started a slow massage. I grasped the edge of the tub tightly with my hands, pressing myself more firmly against him.

He dropped to his knees behind me and I moaned wantonly when he slowly kissed along my lower lips. When he started using his tongue as well, I screamed.

"Emmett!" I cried as he chuckled against me which just sent more shivers through my body. In a maddeningly slow fashion, he licked, nipped, and kissed me there, from my opening to my clit.

My legs began to quiver as I grew wet from his actions, but he didn't stop until I was dangerously close to release.

"Better hold on tight," he teased when he stood and removed his pants. I heard the tear of the foil and then he plunged into me, causing me to scream all over again.

We'd never been together at this precise angle before and he was hitting new and deep places that felt fucking incredible. Like our first time, I found myself deliciously sweaty and achy; again, I found it difficult to breathe.

"Shit you feel good like this," he said as he continued to thrust, faster and faster, digging his hands into my hips as he tried to hold me steady.

"Can't... hold... on... I'm..." was all I managed to say before I came. I tried to hold out for as long as I could but I could take no more. I hoped like hell that he could hold me up because my whole body pretty much went limp.

He slid his massive right arm securely under my breasts and pulled me into a more upright position. Not only did that keep me from collapsing, but it also caused him to hit a completely new spot inside me.

"Shit!" we yelled together as he came in several bursts.

He managed to turn me toward the bathroom counter where I collapsed on my arms while he pulled out and rested against my back.

When we'd both caught our breath, we grinned at our sweaty selves in the mirror.

"Maybe I should send you flowers more often," he said.

"Maybe not when I have work the next day," I replied as he laughed.

I gingerly made my way to turn the water on again. I might have to start going to the gym with New Business if I couldn't keep up any better than this.

* * *

When we used up all the hot water thanks to more fooling around, we were forced to leave the shower. Back in my room, Emmett put on a pair of shorts and I snagged one of his giant tee shirts which I pulled on after my panties.

He tried to head out to the kitchen, but I grabbed his arm and yanked him back. I managed to push him onto the bed, where I immediately climbed on top of him, straddling his lap.

"I can't go again until I eat," he said as I laughed. "You promised me food."

"You'll get your food," I replied. "But I want to know something first. I have a question and I want the truth."

"Yes, you taste amazing," he said as I cracked up laughing.

"Nasty ass," I replied. "That _wasn't _my question."

"What then?" he asked as he grinned. It was truly a difficult thing not to get distracted by those dimples.

"Why did you send me those flowers?" I asked.

"This is false advertising," he said indignantly. "You said you were gonna feed me if I came over here."

"I will," I replied. "After you tell me why you sent me flowers."

He stared at me, smirking. "Do you have any more of that baked ziti with the meat sauce? That was really good."

"I have plenty," I said. "After you tell me why you sent me flowers."

"I could easily move you," he said. "You're not hurting me at all."

"I'm not trying to hurt you," I said. "I want to know why you sent me flowers."

We smiled at each other before he finally caved... a little.

"I wanted to do something to thank you for all that you've done for my family," he said. "You're great with them. You didn't have to tell Gianna about that job, but you did."

"That's nice," I said as he grinned, "but somehow I don't think that's the whole answer."

He smirked at me again; he knew what I wanted to know.

"Riley, Chelsea, and Laurent said that eleven roses means something," I said. "Were you aware of that?"

He grinned even wider then. "You got me. I had no clue."

"I'm concerned with the fact that you have no problem lying directly to my face," I said as he guffawed.

"Here's why I think you sent me those flowers," I said.

"Yes, why don't you tell me before I starve to death," he said as I laughed.

"I think you sent me those flowers to thank me for helping Gianna ..."

"That's what I said," he quipped.

"I'm not done," I replied as I leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I think you also wanted to tell me that you loved me with those flowers," I replied.

"Is that what you think?" he asked his eyes burning into mine.

"Yes, that's what I think," I replied. "And I wanted to be mad that you just wouldn't say it to me, but I haven't said it to you either."

"Why wouldyou say that to me?" he asked coyly.

"Because that's how I feel," I said.

"You never said it," he replied.

"Because I kept thinking it was too soon," I replied as he looked away.

"But now I feel like, I don't care how soon it is," I said.

That got his attention because he quickly turned back toward me.

"I'm old enough to know that I've never felt like this," I continued. "And when they told me what the eleven roses meant, I knew that you felt the same way I did."

"I didn't think you'd know what it meant," he said, grinning and flashing those dimples.

"So it was going to be your little secret?" I asked. "That makes so much sense. _Not_."

"I didn't want to say it out loud," he said very seriously. "I couldn't risk scaring you off. I need you."

My eyes grew watery; I hadn't expected him to actually tell me the truth, no matter how hard I pressed.

"I fell in love with you pretty much as soon as I met you," he said, all trace of humor gone from his voice. "I kept trying to talk myself out of how I felt, but I couldn't."

I gasped and placed my hands against my mouth. My tears ran onto my hands. I didn't care.

"I couldn't tell you that right away," he said. "You would've thought I was a total weirdo. I had to wait for you to catch up and feel the same way."

"Well, I'm caught up," I said as I stared at him intensely. "I love you, Emmett."

"I love you too, Bella."

I threw myself down so that I was flat against him and kissed him as if my life depended on it. My life now did kind of depend on his actually.

When I let him go, he grinned at me and I knew that I wanted to see his face and that grin and those dimples for the rest of my life. His thoughts, apparently, weren't quite so deep.

"If you love me so much, can you feed me now?" he asked. "I really am hungry."

I laughed hysterically as I climbed off of him and we made our way to the kitchen.

I loved _my_ New Business, and now I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he loved me too.

* * *

**A/N:**

**1. Whew! This chapter really fought me, but I like how it turned out. Hope you feel the same way. **

**2. This was supposed to be the Thanksgiving chapter, but everybody got all chatty. As such, we'll get to Thanksgiving next chapter. **

**3. I don't know about your jobs, but at mine, the HR people were always the biggest gossips LOL. **

**4. And if you've ever worked in an office with a shared refrigerator, you will know that Jessica's punishment is exactly what she deserves ;0p**

**As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **

**1. Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight.**_** I'm just playing mix and match with her characters.  
2. Loving all of your thoughts and comments! Thanks so much ;0)**

* * *

**New Business Guy, Chapter 7**

**BPOV**

I didn't think I'd ever been so hungry at six in the morning but, then again, I'd expended quite a lot of energy last night. Thoughts of yesterday with New Business - - - the flowers, the bathroom hijinks, the 'I love you's - - - brought a huge smile to my face.

"What?" the man himself asked around a mouthful of pancakes.

I shook my head at him and laughed. "Just thinking that I usually don't eat this much in the morning."

"You need to refuel," he said. "You had a busy night last night."

We grinned at each other as we continued eating our breakfast.

"More coffee?" asked our waitress. I marveled at her ability to be so cheery and alert so early in the morning.

"Please," Emmett said.

She refilled his cup and mine too before she moved on to the next table in the surprisingly crowded diner.

"You were right," I said. "This place is great."

I'd put the southwestern omelet I ordered right up there with some of the best I'd eaten back home in Phoenix.

"Told you," he said with a smug grin. "I gotta admit: I didn't think I'd lose the bet."

"Now you know not to underestimate me," I said.

Again, we grinned at each other, which we couldn't ever seem to stop doing, recalling our bet from last night.

"_No more funny business from you," I said as I settled into bed. "I have to be at work by seven at the latest tomorrow."_

"_You must mean seven at night," he said as he laughed. "No way in hell will you make it by seven in the morning."_

"_Oh ye of little faith," I said with a grin. _

"_You are __**not**__ a morning person. That's all I'm saying," he replied. _

"_Care to make a friendly wager on that?" I asked as I set my alarm for five a.m._

_He laughed boisterously as he watched me. "You're gonna be up by __**five**__? Yeah, I'll take that bet."_

"_Good," I said. "When I win, you have to cook me breakfast."_

"_No deal," he said. "Besides, that wouldn't be much of a prize."_

_I laughed. "Hmm, you may be right about that. I'll have to think of ..."_

"_If I lose, which I won't, I'll take you to my favorite breakfast spot. They're great, and fast."_

"_Sounds perfect," I said with a grin. _

"_Now if I win ..." he said as he wriggled his eyebrows._

"_Don't waste your breath," I replied. "Ain't happenin'."_

"_We'll see," he said, still laughing at me. _

"_Yes, we will," I replied before I fell asleep with a smile on my face. _

Not only had I been up by five, I'd been ready to leave half an hour later. New Business couldn't help but be impressed.

"I never thought you'd be ready on time," he said.

"Are you implying that I don't keep my word?" I asked with a grin.

"No, I'm just saying _again _that I've noticed you're not a morning person," he replied.

"Are you really qualified to make that kind of declaration?" I asked playfully. "You haven't spent that many mornings with me."

"In my mind, I've woken up with you ever day since I met you," he said.

"A lot of crazy shit happens in your ..."

I stopped mid-sentence and groaned.

"I'm sorry."

He smiled weakly. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Hadn't he told me that his father had serious mental health problems? And here I just called him crazy and questioned what goes on in his mind. _Nice going, Swan._

"I know you're not making fun of my dad," he said. "People use the word 'crazy' all the time. If I flipped out every time somebody made a crack about being crazy or losing their mind, I _would_ be crazy and lose my mind."

I nodded and took a sip of my water. No matter what he said, I did feel badly. When he placed his warm hand over mine across the table, I looked up.

"It's not a big deal," he said. "Don't get upset."

"This is something else you'll have to get used to," I said. "Sometimes, stupid shit just flies out of my mouth."

He grinned. "I don't want you watching what you say or tiptoeing around me," he said. "Don't go changing now. I've already accepted that you and your big mouth talk shit all the time."

"Hey, that's my greatest asset," I said as we laughed together.

"If you ever want to talk about your dad," I said seriously, "I'm here for you. Okay?"

"I know," he said. "I'll tell you more about him. Someday."

I wanted to push for more information but I didn't; now wasn't the time.

"Why did you want to get to work so early today?" he asked, completely changing the subject.

"The I.T. team is having a big meeting on Friday," I said. "Caius volunteered me to work with Rose and the guys to write up all the slides and materials. We made good progress yesterday, but we_ have _to finish today."

"What's the meeting for?" he asked.

"They're announcing a bunch of new changes," I said. "They started a customer service team, and they're changing the group structure. Laurent's the team leader, and instead of everybody reporting to Rose, most people on the I.T. team will report to him now."

"And he'll report to her?" he asked.

I nodded.

"That actually makes sense," he said. "Rose really knows her shit, but she's a control freak and doesn't delegate well. You must have come up with that idea."

"I suggested the customer service team, and more admin help, but Caius pushed for the teams to have leaders," I said.

"So Heidi will be the team leader too, for the sales team?" he asked. I'd filled him in last week on the work I did for the big sales meeting.

"Yeah, and they'll both be team trainers," I said.

"I hope they got raises," he said, shaking his head. He knew all too well the personalities on the sales and I.T. teams.

"Judging by the smiles on their faces, I'd say they did," I replied as he laughed.

"You better be next," he said, "you do way more than what you were hired to do."

"I know," I said. "Caius promised we'd discuss my job after New Year's when things settle down a little. The thing is, I haven't even been there that long. My time will come."

"It's hard to believe you've only been there three months," he said with a smile.

"I know," I said. "If I'd been there six months or a year, doing all this stuff, yeah, I'd be more upset. You know me, I'll hold Caius to his word."

"Oh, I do know you, Madam Bad-Ass," he said.

I laughed. "One day, maybe I can make the big bucks like you."

"I wouldn't mind being a kept man," he said as we laughed together.

Just as I was about to suggest that we start wrapping up breakfast, my cell phone rang.

"It's Angie," I said, surprised. Emmett stopped eating and watched me as I took the call.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," Angie replied. "I'm sorry to call so early but I wanted to catch you before you got to work."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I just forgot to tell you something. I was supposed to call you last night but I was kinda busy at Ben's."

"I was busy myself last night," I said with a chuckle. New Business raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I can't _wait_ for the car ride tomorrow," she said with a chuckle of her own.

I groaned. Angie talked all the time on a normal day; trapped together for hours in a car, she'd talk nonstop.

"Anyway, I talked to Mom yesterday and she wanted me to ask if you'd make a few more cakes than what you'd planned. More people from town are coming, and she just wants to be prepared."

"Sure," I said. "How many more? What kind?"

"Three more," she said. "Another apple, and two of those almond pound cakes you made last year."

"They were good," I said, relieved that nothing more troubling had caused her to call so early.

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she said. "You could've gone to the store last night if you needed more stuff. Now it's the day before Thanksgiving."

"It's really fine," I said. "I was already going anyway after work."

"Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" she asked.

"Really," I said calmly. "I realized this morning that I need way more eggs and a few more things. I'll be leaving work early so it's not a problem. I'm glad you called me now though."

"Okay," she said, sounding more relieved. "I'll see you tonight."

I chuckled as I ended the call. Angie was a worrier. Always had been, always would be.

"Everything okay?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Just a few more cakes to bake."

"She called you this early just for that?" he asked.

"To give me time in case I need to get more ingredients at the store," I said. "It's the day before Thanksgiving. The stores are usually way more crowded. I know you wouldn't know that because your mommy does all your grocery shopping, but that's how it works."

New Business threw back his head and laughed. "You're not hurting my feelings at all," he replied as he laughed. "Ma does do all that stuff."

"You never told me that but I figured that one out for myself," I said with a smirk.

I already knew that I had a total mama's boy on my hands.

"Angie's family must really be big," Emmett said.

"It is, but the cakes aren't just for them," I said. "Did I ever tell you about Angie's dad?"

He shook his head. "If you did, I don't remember."

"He's a minister," I said.

"Wait, her dad's a minister and she was living with her ex?" he asked. "I bet he didn't like that."

"He never knew," I said. "He doesn't like to travel much and the few times he visited, she just made sure she hid Eric's stuff. He just thought they were dating, not living together."

He smirked. "And here I thought Angie was a good girl," he said.

"She is," I said as I chuckled. "Kind of. It's for the best that her dad didn't know. Even her mom agrees."

Emmett just chuckled as the waitress brought the check.

"Anyway, every Thanksgiving, her family comes to visit, but other people from town come too. Not everyone has family in Forks; some people move there just for logging work."

"I didn't know that," he said.

"Yeah, logging's a big part of the economy there," I said. "Forks can be a lonely place if you don't have family near. Her parents always have an open invitation to anybody from the church or from the town who wants to come for Thanksgiving dinner. They have a huge house; there's plenty of room."

"That's pretty cool," he said. "Do you make all the desserts?"

"No," I said. "People bring different things. Angie's mom and some of her aunts do most of the cooking, and some people who always come bring certain dishes. There's a lady from their church who does most of the pies, but I've turned into the designated cake lady."

He smiled. Not for the first time, I wondered how we'd handle Thanksgiving and other holidays in the future, but now was not the time to dwell on that.

"Thanksgiving at the Webers' is always a blast, and I'm happy to do my part."

"You'll be up all night," he said. "You don't have to make that cake for us."

I smiled. "I can't let Henry down. He's counting on me."

Emmett laughed. "He does like 'Miss Bella'. Austin and Kim too. Ma says they talk about you all the time."

I smiled again. "I'm used to baking a lot at the holidays, I have a system, even though I usually do it at Charlie's. It's really not that big a deal."

"If you say so," he said as he put out money to pay the check.

When the waitress took it, we wished her a happy Thanksgiving and left the diner.

"I'm glad it won't be a problem then," New Business said as we stood by my car. "If I don't come back home with your cake they might not let me in the house."

"What can I say? I bake well," I said smugly.

"Trust me," he said with a smirk, "that's not the only thing you do well."

"I'm starting to get the feeling that you're horny a lot," I said as I opened my car door.

"Good," he replied, "because I am."

I shook my head, laughing all the while, as I got in and started my car. "I'll see you tonight."

He nodded and shut my door. I assumed that he would walk away to his own car, so I turned to crank up the heat before putting on my seatbelt. I jumped a little when a rap sounded on my window.

"Yes, New Business?" I said with a huge grin as I let the window down.

"I love you," he said with a silly grin that I returned.

"I love you too," I replied. With a wave, I drove away.

I could_ so _get used to hearing that from him on a daily basis.

* * *

Thank goodness we'd stopped for breakfast because that proved to be the only break I would have for the day. I'd barely unlocked the door to my office when Caius walked in and greeted me.

"Do you sleep here?" I asked as he sat down in front of my desk. "I'm almost two hours early today, yet here you are. Do you ever leave?"

He laughed. "I like to work. I always have. Retirement didn't suit me at all."

"When were you retired?" I asked. This was news to me.

"About five years ago," he replied. "I worked in the financial sector my whole life. If you think I work hard now ..."

He didn't finish that thought because he was too busy looking away, smiling at some memory.

"I bet you were one of those greedy, hedge-fund guys who screwed up the whole economy," I said.

Caius shrieked with laughter. "There was money to be made, and we made it."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," I said.

"Sounds like you know a little more about the market than I would have thought," he replied with a huge grin.

"I do _not_," I replied. "But my stepdad and I used to watch _American Greed _and all those other shows on CNBC about the fall of the economy and the real estate market. Everything that happened was rich people's fault."

Again, he cracked up laughing. "My dear, you are quite the comedian." I laughed along with Caius.

Renée always hated when Phil and I watched all those financial shows. Phil used the money he made from a career in minor-league baseball to buy several retail franchises. The businesses made him comfortably wealthy, but he always sought ways to increase his wealth; he watched CNBC all the time. I just found it interesting to see the inner workings of the schemes and cons that always ended up ruining so many people's lives.

"Did you retire when the market collapsed?" I asked.

"No," he replied, "I probably would've taken a break then. But I had a heart attack and ..."

"What?" I shrieked. My boss was the picture of health.

"It wasn't major. But it was a wake-up call," he said, looking delighted at my level of concern. "Aro, my father, was still alive at that time. He begged me to slow down, in the best interests of the family."

"That's not cryptic at all," I said as he guffawed.

"Let's just say that I'm the most frugal of my family," he replied. "When my mother and my siblings were trying to run through the family fortune, thinking it would never end, I was always the one behind the scenes, making deals to make sure we didn't lose money, keeping track of their spending, being the voice of reason."

Now that sounded reasonable enough, but I'd grown to know Caius well these months I'd worked for him. He could be overbearing, condescending, demanding, and intimidating. I bet his family couldn't stand him. But I didn't say any of that, instead I asked a more innocent question.

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Three," he replied. "One brother and two sisters. I'm the youngest. Father hated to say 'no' to them, but I didn't mind. He knew that without me around, the Cullen name, and money, would be run into the ground. He begged me to retire and take it easy, so I did."

"If you retired, how did you get to be the CEO here?" I asked, fascinated by this rare insight into his family.

"I was supposed to be more like a silent partner," he replied. "But I could see I'd have to do more from the very beginning."

I had so many questions now that he was being so chatty. I had to pace myself and not act overeager.

"And you control all of the family's money?" I asked.

"I don't know if 'control' is the right word," he said. "It's more like I have final authority over the money, including all of the kids' trust funds. Aro set it up that way in his will. Rose and Edward wanted to take all of their inheritance and sink it into this place without any idea of how a business should run. I made naming me CEO a condition of releasing some of the money."

"But you were just supposed to be a silent partner to the chiefs?" I asked.

"To Rose and Edward," he said. "This whole company was their idea. Carlisle had a great job already, following in my footsteps. I was very proud."

He couldn't have looked any prouder if he tried.

"Is he your only child?" I asked. "You've never said."

"He's my one and only," he said with a broad smile.

"If he had a great job, why'd he leave it?" I asked.

"To help his cousins," he said. "Those three have always been the closest of all the kids."

"There's more?" I asked, a little more disrespectfully than I'd intended, causing Caius to fall out laughing.

"Yes," he said. "Several. First, there's Edward's twin, Anthony."

I shook my head at the thought of not one, but two, Edwards loose in the world.

"Anthony's the party guy," he said. "Edward's always worked hard, in school and at work."

I raised my eyebrow and Caius laughed.

"He has, Bella," he said with a chuckle. "While he was studying, Anthony was partying. He's always in the papers, dating all the socialites, no job, living off his looks and our money. My sister gives him whatever he wants."

I remained silent, eager to hear more about the family. I'd arrived early to do work not to gossip, but I certainly wasn't going to stop Caius from airing out the Cullens' dirty laundry. I wondered why he felt so comfortable telling me such personal things about his family, but I'd long since suspected that he didn't have any real friends.

"Rose has a sister and a brother," he continued. "They're both still in college. Lillian's a snotty little thing, almost as bad as Anthony. And she's so jealous of Rose she can barely function. Kevin wants to be a school teacher."

Caius looked disgusted as he spoke of his nephew.

"How dare he have normal aspirations," I said, laughing at the distasteful look on my boss's face.

He just rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Those are all my sisters' kids," he said. "My brother has two more. But Rose, Carlisle, and Edward were always the closest. They're the best of friends. Believe it or not, Rose, Edward, and I are very close too. We always have been."

I'd noticed how Rose and Edward deferred to Caius, even when they didn't agree with him. They clearly respected their uncle.

"I knew they were united in hating me," I said as he grimaced, "but I didn't know they were so close."

"Hate is a strong word," he said carefully. "My involvement in this company is a constant source of friction in my whole family."

"And in their mind, I'm on your 'side', so to speak, and that's why they've never cared for me," I said.

He grimaced again. "I'd have to say that's a spot-on assessment. And I'm very sorry for that. I knew they'd be upset when I hired you, but I didn't think they'd maintain this level of disdain, especially after you've done so much to improve things here."

"I suppose my attitude doesn't help either," I said with a smirk. "I was told the other day that I 'look' at Edward a certain way."

Again, he laughed. "I don't know about that but it's plain on your face that you don't give a fuck what they think of you."

"I'm here to do a job, not to be liked," I said. Caius beamed at my words, looking as proud as he had when he'd spoken of Carlisle.

"I guess they didn't expect you to take such an active role in the company," I said.

"That's an understatement," he replied. "But with so much of the family's money invested here, I couldn't stay in the background and let this company fall apart."

"I bet that didn't go over too well," I said.

"No," he replied. "My sisters were livid, but I know Rose and Edward. They're smart, and they do work hard. But they've barely had to run their own lives, let alone a business. I'd never run a business either, but it was clear I knew a hell of a lot more than they did."

"I may be biased because I'm on your_ side_," I said as he laughed, "but I think you're doing a great job. It's clear to me that you're just trying to make ATS the best it can be. It's not like you have a bunch of your friends or girlfriends on the payroll who sit around and do nothing like at some companies."

"Didn't you know?" Caius said with a smirk. "_You're_ my girlfriend."

"Oh, that's right," I said as we shook our heads and laughed together.

He smiled warmly at me before he sighed. "Bella, I honestly should have told you all of this sooner," he replied. "I trust you a great deal. You have a very astute mind for business, and you're a careful listener. I'm glad you're here."

"It's been rough at times, but I do like it here," I said. "It's sounding like you have no intentions of leaving ATS, or going back to being the silent partner."

"I do love it," he replied smugly. "And they need me even if they won't admit it."

"I can't see why that would cause tension around here at all," I said sarcastically.

Caius laughed so hard he bent over in his seat, holding his stomach.

"Ahh, Bella," he replied, "so young to be so wise."

It was my turn to laugh as Caius checked his phone.

"I don't think you came down here to give me the history of the Cullen family," I said. "Did you need me for something?"

"I did," he said. "I was going to tell you that ..."

He was interrupted by Rose who opened my door and barged into the office.

"Since you're here early for once," she said, giving me a scathing look, "we can get started. I'll go get my notes."

Caius sighed as she left. "I was going to tell you that Rose is here, and she needs to leave early and you should get ready to meet with her as soon as you can."

"Thanks for the heads up," I said, chuckling as Caius laughed and stood to leave.

"And Bella," he said as he reached the door, "I know that you'll keep what we discussed confidential. No one here knows the family details but the chiefs, not even Alice or Jasper."

"Understood," I replied.

* * *

I spent the entire freaking day, with no break at all, with Rose, Riley, and Laurent finalizing the text for the big Friday meeting. Once the guys arrived, Rose ignored me completely, but watching her with them fascinated me: she was challenging, yet engaging, and valued their opinions. Emmett always said that she knew her stuff, and clearly she did.

Since my chat with Caius this morning, for the first time ever, I felt a smidgen of sympathy for Rose. ATS was supposed to be her and Edward's venture. Caius meant well in basically hijacking it, but he'd hijacked it nonetheless. As Caius's number one aide and confidant, in Rose and Edward's mind, I was public enemy number one.

Rose left at 1:30, and an hour later, the guys approved the final text.

"You've been great," Riley said as he gathered his belongings. "We couldn't have done all this without you."

"Send those files to Lizzie and you're done with us," Laurent said, standing to leave.

"Is that a promise?" I asked as they cracked up laughing.

I copied Caius, Rose, Riley, and Laurent and clicked 'send' on my e-mail to Lizzie, the new administrative assistant to the I.T. team. She'd be printing out all the materials and putting them into binders for the meeting. I thought of Lizzie as something of a saint: she was supervised by Lauren, Rose's miserable assistant, and still she maintained a bubbly, carefree demeanor. That took skill that I didn't have.

"Have a happy Thanksgiving, guys," I said. They wished me the same as they left.

I made a mad dash for the bathroom, then returned to my office. Once I checked my e-mails and phone messages and tied up a few loose ends, the clock read 3:15.

"I'm outta here," I said aloud. I'd arrived two hours early today, and as far as I was concerned, that meant I was done. Of course, I had to run that by Caius first.

I found him at his desk, talking a mile a minute to Alice who looked ready to choke him.

"The I.T. materials are done," I said. "I copied you, and I was going to leave unless you needed me for something else."

"No. That's fine," he replied with a grin. "Thanks for everything. Rose was very pleased with what you'd done before she left."

"Have a happy Thanksgiving," I said to him.

"And don't shop too much on Friday," I said to Alice.

"Some stores are opening Thursday night," she said far too happily. "I can't wait."

I laughed and shook my head.

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Caius called before I could escape. Alice smirked at me.

"Going to see my dad in Forks," I said. "I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"That means she's ready to get the hell out of here, boss," Alice said as Caius laughed.

"And I think Alice is ready to go too," I said.

"Okay, okay," he said with a grin. "You two go. Have a wonderful holiday. See you Monday."

"You too," we replied as Alice leapt from her seat and brushed past me out of the office. I shut the door because Caius had already started dialing the phone.

"Thank you," she exclaimed when we got to her desk. "With you tied up with Rose, he's been nagging me all day. I don't know how you stand it."

"He does love to talk," I said.

"I'm really not done my work," she said, "but I'm getting the fuck out of here. I'll finish up at home and e-mail him."

By the time she'd finished saying all that, she'd shut her computer down, pulled on her coat, grabbed her purse and some papers, and darted down the hall.

"Happy Thanksgiving," I called to her disappearing back. She waved in reply. I started walking myself, not wanting to linger near Caius should he get off the phone and start talking to me again.

I decided to stop and say goodbye to Gianna before I left. I walked right into Jasper when I neared her office.

"I'm gone," Jasper said. "Have a good turkey day."

"You too," I said though he'd already passed by me, moving as quickly as Alice.

I knocked on the door of Gianna's office. Inside, she and Ben seemed to be wrapping up a meeting. She motioned for me to come inside.

"I can come back later," I said as I looked to the invoices and spreadsheets strewn across the desk.

"We're all done," Gianna said with a smile. "C'mon in." I shut the door and sat down as Ben put the invoices in a pile.

"Let me guess," I said, pointing toward the papers on the desk. "Nobody really kept track of this stuff before."

"Correct," Ben said. "Sometimes, Chelsea had the catering invoices at the reception desk, sometimes Jasper had them, sometimes Rose or Edward. The other two meeting services people weren't here long enough for me to meet with."

I understood the reason for their meeting now: Ben handled accounts payable for ATS, and he'd need Gianna to approve and submit all the invoices from catering and other meeting-related expenses.

"I wanted to meet with Gianna early on," Ben said with a smile. "I have a feeling she'll be sticking around for a while."

"Damn straight," she replied as I laughed.

"I asked Gianna if she's related to Emmett," Ben said smugly. "I told her I know about you two, and I told her about me and Angie."

"You're so perfect for Angie," I said. "Nosey gossips, the both of you."

Ben and Gianna cracked up laughing. Clearly, they'd been talking about much more than invoices.

"Angie sounds like fun," Gianna said, "I can't wait to meet her."

"As fast as everything's been moving, I'm sure you will very soon," I said.

"So tomorrow," Ben said, looking at me warily, "who's driving?"

"I am," I said with a chuckle.

"Good," he said, looking relieved. "She swears her car makes the trip all the time, but it looks on the verge of breaking down any second to me."

"What kind of car does she have?" Gianna asked.

"A death trap," Ben said as I chuckled.

"It's a '95 Accord that belonged to her mom," I said. "It's actually held up pretty well, but Angie's not the best at getting maintenance on it, so it does act up."

"What do you have?" Gianna asked.

"A Volvo XC60," I replied, "it's a crossover."

"Bella's car is brand new," Ben said. "I'll feel much better with Angie on the road in that."

"Aww, look at you all worried about Angie," I said as he and Gianna laughed.

"I kinda like her," he said with a smirk as he stood to leave. "Have a great Thanksgiving you two."

We returned his well wishes as he left.

"I passed Jasper on my way here," I said to Gianna. "He's leaving. I'm sure it's okay for you to leave too."

"Yeah, he said I can leave," she replied.

"Oh good," I said, standing. "I am too. I'll walk with you to the garage."

The look on Gianna's face told me that she hadn't driven in to work today. "I'll just stick around to ..."

I sighed. "I know I'm supposed to stay out of it, but I could give you a ride today. There's no point in you sitting around here for a few more hours when you can just leave with me."

She immediately started to protest, but I spoke over her.

"I have a few last-minute things to get at the store and I'm going to the Safeway right near you."

"There's a Safeway closer to you than that one," she said.

"Two actually," I said, "but they're _always _crowded and I know they'll be worse today. The one near you is bigger, and I don't think it'll be as bad."

She stared at me for a few seconds, then she shrugged. "Okay," she said. "But just for ..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just today, whatever," I said as she laughed. "Meet me by the elevator."

I hurried back to my office to retrieve my coat and purse, shut down my computers, and lock up before heading to the elevator. Gianna arrived there with a smirk on her face.

"Your boyfriend's not happy about this," she said.

"Good thing I know how to handle him," I said as the elevator arrived and we stepped inside.

"Did he bring you yesterday and today?" I asked.

"Liam brought me, but Em picked me up," she said. "We're seeing how it goes. Driving here and parking every day is out of the question; it's too expensive. Em offered to pay for the garage but ..."

"Let me guess, Liam blew up at the idea," I said.

She chuckled. "You got it."

"When they told me this was the _discounted_ garage rate, I asked what the normal was," I replied as she laughed. "Didn't seem like much of a savings to me."

"If you make the big bucks, I guess it's nothing," she replied. "But we just can't afford it right now. Liam refuses to take any more money from Em than what he loaned us. He hates having to depend on his little brother. I can't blame him for that."

"No, I guess not," I replied. "If I had more bills, I probably wouldn't pay for the garage either, but I like having the car here in case I need to leave or something. It works for now, but I understand your point too."

We arrived at my car and Gianna inhaled deeply when she got inside.

"It still has the new car smell," she said as I laughed.

"This is my first new car," I said. "I'm trying to take good care of it."

"It's really nice."

"Thanks," I said.

I basically loved my car, the first new vehicle I'd ever owned. I'd always driven my grandad's old car in Phoenix, but Renée and I agreed that we didn't think it would make the trip to Seattle. Instead, she and Phil gave me a very nice chunk of change toward a down payment to buy a car when I got here.

Charlie, so happy that I'd moved closer to him, also gave me money toward the down payment. He visited not long after I moved and he tested cars with me. I had my own money saved up, but I certainly didn't turn down free money from my parents.

We buckled up and I backed out of the garage. Thankfully, traffic wasn't too bad; other people must have left early for the holiday as well.

"In the future," I said, "you could drive to my apartment and ride in with me in the mornings."

"Thanks, but we don't want to put you out," she said.

I wanted to say that they were all being ridiculous but I bit my tongue.

"I could easily get the bus," she said. "There's a stop not far from our house. But it would take longer to get home, and Liam and Em want me to try riding with them first."

I shook my head. I knew I was new to the family, very new, but I just didn't like the idea of her having to do what they said all the time.

"I think it's about time you had an ally," I said. "I'm glad I came along."

Gianna cracked up laughing. "I'm glad too. But you'll see: it's better to pick your battles in this family."

"I can imagine," I said. "Maggie's kind of the last word in the family, I see."

"Definitely," she said. "She's a sweet lady, but tough as nails."

We must have talked Maggie up because she called Gianna just then. They talked for a bit as I drove.

She sighed when she ended the call. "She already talked to Em; she's upset."

"This is _so_ not that big of a deal," I said, rolling my eyes.

"_Anything_ has the potential to be a big deal with them," she said with a long sigh.

"Don't you go getting upset too," I said. "I need to know how the family operates. You're my in."

That got Gianna laughing a little. "You've been so great about us," she said. "About Em too."

"Why wouldn't I be? He's a great guy."

"I know," she said. "But this family is so... overinvolved, I guess, is the best way to say it. I worried how you'd react to us. I prayed you wouldn't run screaming for the hills."

I chuckled. "I think I was more overwhelmed than anything at first," I said. "My mom's a little overbearing but most of the time, she's off doing her own thing. I'm not used to so much involvement. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

"Em bringing you to meet us was a_ big_ deal," Gianna said. "A really big deal. This is serious, Bella. I hope you understand."

"Emmett and I do talk," I said as she chuckled. "Being this serious is new for me too. And it's all happened so fast. I just moved to Seattle in the middle of July."

"Really?" she asked. "You said you were from Phoenix, but I didn't realize you'd moved here so recently."

"Yup," I replied. "Then I got the job about a month after that. And I had no intention of getting involved with somebody I worked with, especially not so soon."

"Some things are just meant to be," she said. I could feel her looking at me as I stared ahead at the road.

We soon passed the first of the Safeway stores near my apartment.

"Look at that parking lot," I said. "See what I mean?"

"That's ridiculous," she replied. "I'm glad I don't have to go today. I think Maggie's all set for dinner tomorrow. She's probably been cooking all day."

"I always spend Thanksgiving with my dad and Christmas with my mom," I said. "I don't know how we'll do it in the future."

"I like that you're thinking about a future... with Em," she said quietly.

"He's it for me," I said. "I've never been a big believer in fate, but I do think we were meant to be, like you said."

"That's what Maggie and I think too," she said. "Em's so much... lighter now, I can't really explain it. He's always had so much on his plate, even before all the shit that happened last year. It's nice to see him happy."

"It's just scary," I admitted. "I kept saying that it was too fast, but I can't help how I feel."

"I haven't known you very long, but you definitely don't seem flaky, or like somebody who just rushes into something, and Em's the same way," she said. "I know you two will take your time and do what's right for you."

"We talk a lot, so that's good," I said. "We'll be okay."

After passing the second Safeway near my apartment and commenting again on the jam-packed parking lot, we rode together silently for a bit longer. I think we both wanted to ask more questions but neither wanted to pry. Finally, curiosity got the best of me.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" I said.

"No," she replied.

"Does your family come visit for holidays, or do you always celebrate with the McCartys?"

"The only family I really keep in touch with is my sister," Gianna said.

"Is she in Seattle?" I asked.

"No," Gianna replied. "I guess you could technically say she lives in Norfolk, Virginia. She has a place there with her boyfriend. They're both in the Navy and they're deployed a lot. I don't see her much, but I talk to her. We're all we have since our grandparents died, so we try to stay in touch."

"I'm sorry to hear about your grandparents," I said.

"Thanks," she replied. "They were much more than grandparents; they raised us. One day, my parents asked them to babysit and never came back."

"Oh my god," I said.

"They called later and said they just couldn't handle raising us," she said. "I don't remember any of it. I was only three. They never came back for us."

"That's awful," I said.

"It was hard on my grandparents but they loved us and did their best," she said. "We never knew my mom's family, or many other people in my dad's."

"I'm not close with much family either," I said. "Just my parents and a few others. No wonder you're so close with the McCartys."

"I am," she said. "But my grandparents were close to them too. They knew Dean before we were even born and before he ever met Maggie."

"Really?" I remarked. "Dean was their dad?"

I tried not to sound as excited as I really was at finding out some information about New Business's background.

"Yes," Gianna said. "My grandfather worked for Dean for years."

"Your _grandfather_ worked for Emmett's _dad_?" I asked. I was no math whiz but something wasn't adding up. "How old was their dad?"

"He was 76 when he died," she said as my mouth fell open. "That was two years ago."

"But Maggie's ..."

"Maggie was twenty-five years younger than he was," Gianna said.

"Wow," I said. "That's a big gap."

"Yeah," she said. "He was 50 when Em was born. My Grandma said Maggie's family disowned her for marrying him."

Still too stunned to speak, I remained silent.

"When he was okay and thinking clearly, Dean was the nicest guy," Gianna said. "But his mind got worse and worse. He had plenty of family in the area but they never helped him."

"What was wrong with him if you don't mind me asking," I said. "I think it's too hard for Emmett to talk about, not that I can blame him."

"Dementia, senility, Alzheimer's," she said. "I'm not sure exactly what he was diagnosed with but it was along those lines. It started getting really bad when Liam was in high school so the kids had to deal with it for most of their lives."

"You and Liam went to high school together?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "But we didn't date then. I know all this stuff from my grandparents, and from what I saw. We only lived a few blocks away from them. Sometimes Dean was really calm, but then he'd have spells where he'd get disoriented and aggressive. I remember a few times he showed up at our house thinking it was his. My grandfather and a few other guys in the neighborhood would have to drag him back home. It was bad."

"That sounds rough," I said.

"Yeah," she replied. "I don't think he was ever violent because when he was his normal self, he was the sweetest guy. But when he got... out of it... there wasn't much anyone could do."

"I can't imagine what they went through growing up," I said. "Maggie too."

"I know," she said. "What I saw, and what I knew, was bad enough. I couldn't really blame Liam when he moved out, or Emily for running off with the first guy who showed some interest in her. It really wasn't fair to any of them, but I don't know what else could be done. Grandma always said Maggie was wrong for not putting him in a home, but some of those places are really bad."

"It's a tough situation, and if people haven't lived it, they can't really judge," I said.

"Exactly," she said. "And what's really fucked up is some of Dean's family showed up near the end, sniffing around for money."

"What?" I asked, stunned.

"Oh yeah," she said bitterly. "They were ashamed of him when his mind started going and none of them ever helped Maggie or the kids, so there's some bad blood. Liam almost fought one of his uncles at the hospital."

"Good lord," I said, imagining the scene in my head. "Why are people so fucking shitty?"

"Money, honey," she said as we both let out dark chuckles. "Dean had a really good job down at the shipyard before he got so ill. But any money he had was long gone by the time he died. Maggie could never work; somebody had to be with him."

"That's what Emmett said," I remarked.

"She was able to get more help for him toward the end," she said, "but that woman's been through it."

We both sat in silence for several minutes as I drove, my thoughts - - - and Gianna's too undoubtedly - - - dwelling on the sad lives the McCartys had led.

"I'm so glad she met Harry," Gianna said after a time. "He's been great for her."

"I still have to meet him," I said. "I can't say I enjoyed meeting his dog."

She laughed. "The kids love Champ. He gets along great with Biscuit and Midnight."

I groaned as she cackled with laughter. "Don't tell me you have pets too."

"Sorry," she said. "We put them outside both times you were over. They're pretty tame, but we could tell by the way you were around Champ that you're not a pet person."

"No, I'm not," I said as she continued to laugh. "Yours are dogs?"

"Biscuit is; she's a retriever mix," Gianna said.

"Retrievers are big right?" I asked.

"Some are," she said. "But Biscuit's not that big. She's a sweetheart. Midnight's a cat."

I shivered which caused her to laugh more. I _really_ didn't like cats; in Phoenix, my grandparents' cats used to make a game of jumping out and tormenting me.

"Is it black? That's why you named it Midnight?" I asked.

"She's actually all white," she said, "we thought that would be a funny name."

I shook my head again. "I would've never known if you hadn't just told me. You didn't have pet hair all over the place like my grandparents did at their house."

"I kind of got obsessive about cleaning when I wasn't working," she said a little sadly. "Didn't have much else to do."

"Well that's all changed now," I said.

"Thanks to you," she replied.

"Thanks to both of us," I said.

There was so much more I wanted to ask her about Emmett's family, especially about Emily and Liam. But we were getting close to her neighborhood. I'd have to save those questions for another day.

"Do you want to go to your house or to Maggie's? We're close."

"I'll go to Maggie's if you don't mind," she said. "Kim's there."

"You and Kim seem close," I said.

"We are," she said with a big grin. "That's my partner in crime."

"Do Kim and Liam get along okay?" I asked cautiously. The two times I'd seen them together had involved a degree of yelling between the two.

She chuckled but then sighed.

"Liam's got a temper, and Kim is her father's daughter," she said. "She might look like me, but her personality is_ all _him. They're just alike and they know which buttons to push on each other. They love each other; they're just... passionate."

"How very mom-like and diplomatic of you," I said as she laughed.

"I'm _dreading_ the next few years when she starts dating," Gianna said. "I might come hide out at your house. I can already imagine the arguments."

"You're welcome anytime," I said as I laughed. "Did you ever want more kids? Do you want more?"

"No and hell no," she said as I guffawed.

"I'm 33, and a few of my friends are pregnant now," she said. "No way do I want to go through that again."

"Did you have a bad pregnancy?" I asked.

"Not bad," she said, "it was just stressful. Kim wasn't planned and I was young. Maggie and Liam were freaking out because I didn't want to automatically get married when I found out. My grandparents never really liked me going out with Liam anyway, so they weren't happy either."

"That sounds like way too much stress to have to deal with," I said.

"It was," she said. "I wasn't ready to be a mom at all, but at the same time I was so excited."

"I'm glad I'll be older if it happens for me," I said. "I would_ not _have been ready when I was younger. I barely feel like an adult as it is."

"Kids are so much responsibility," Gianna said. "And they're expensive. We're done. It's Em's turn now. I'll be more than happy to babysit your kids, but this oven is turned off."

I cracked up laughing.

"At least Maggie has other grandkids," I said. "I doubt she'll pressure us."

"Don't count on that," she said as she snorted with laughter.

"My parents know about Emmett now, and they know it's serious," I said. "They're gonna crank up the marriage and grandkids talk. I can feel it. I almost don't even want to see them tomorrow and Christmas because I know how bad they'll be."

"Better you than me," Gianna said, still laughing.

"Thanks, you're such a big help," I said.

I altered my route toward Maggie and Em's house and soon pulled up in front of it.

"Coming in?" Gianna asked hopefully.

"No," I said. "I better not. I really do need to get to the store and get home to start baking."

"Okay," she said. "Thanks again. Have a happy Thanksgiving."

"You too," I said. "I promise I won't breathe a word of what you told me."

She nodded and stepped out of the car. By the time she opened the gate to the yard, the front door opened and Maggie and Kim waved to me. I waved back but drove away.

I wouldn't be allowed in Forks without cake and I _had_ to get started on them. But I certainly hadn't minded my informative chat.

Between Caius and Gianna, I wondered if it was National Tell Family Secrets Day.

* * *

I'd been home for several hours and baked two cakes already when New Business called.

"I'm on my way," he said. "I'm stopping at Subway. You want anything?"

"No thanks," I said. "I'm having a salad. See you when you get here."

He must have been close when he called because what seemed like mere minutes later, he knocked on the door.

"It smells _great_ in here," he said as he stepped inside of the apartment. "Look at all your pans and shit lined up on the counter. Professional."

"Thank you," I said, eating up the compliment.

"Be right back," he said as he made his way to the bathroom. I hung up his coat which he'd placed on a chair, then I put his bag from Subway on the dining room table across from my salad. I heard Angie stop talking on the phone long enough to greet him on his way back to the table.

"I didn't think Angie could be that loud," Emmett said when he sat down.

"She has to be with her family. There's too many of them, and they never shut up." I chuckled and shook my head.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. "She sounds upset."

"Oh yeah," I replied. "She's just talking to her sister. They're gearing up for tomorrow."

"I thought she'd be over at Ben's since they'll be apart for a few days," he said.

"She probably would be if she didn't have a mountain of laundry to do," I said. "Plus, we're leaving as soon as we're both ready in the morning, so it's best if we're here together."

"Is she really okay with me being over here all the time?" he asked. "I feel like I ran her out of her own house."

"Don't," I said. "The school where she teaches is _a lot _closer to Ben's place than this apartment. She loves his house. Honestly, I don't think she likes being here much anymore. I think it reminds her of Eric."

"I never thought of it like that," he said as he unwrapped his sandwich.

"She hasn't said anything about leaving here when the lease is up," I said, "but if she does, I want to take over the lease and stay. At least for a year. I really like it here."

"I do too," New Business said. "It's peaceful."

"Yeah," I said softly as we started eating our food. I knew why he liked it here: it was a total escape from not only his house, but also his family.

"How come you're just now eating?" he asked. "You weren't waiting for me were you?"

"First of all, I can wait for you if I want to," I said as he laughed. "But I wanted to get some of the cakes started. Yours are done."

"You made more than one?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I made the apple, and an almond pound cake. That one is small, just in a loaf pan. But I wanted you guys to try it."

"Thanks," he said, shaking his head. "How many more do you have to make?"

"Four more after the two in the oven now."

His eyes grew large. "You say that like it's no big deal," he said. "You'll be up all night."

"I won't really," I said. "Once you get all the ingredients ready, it doesn't take long at all. And these aren't layer cakes with icing or anything, which would take a little more time. They're bundt, just baked in one pan. The apple has a glaze that can go over it, but that's already done. I put some in a little container with your cakes. Your mom will know what to do with it."

"You're amazing," he said with a smirk. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"I can't really follow orders when my boyfriend's family makes a simple situation complicated and tells me to butt out."

He cocked his head to the side and grinned. "Smart-Ass."

"That's Bad-Ass, thank you very much," I replied as he guffawed.

"My apologies," he said. "Nobody said 'butt out.' But you got her the job. We can't have you picking her up and taking her too. It's too much."

"So you're not mad at me?" I asked.

"No, I know you just want to help," he said. "But _really_, you've done enough. I don't want you to get overwhelmed with us. You already were; you said so yourself."

He was right about that; dinner Monday night had really unsettled me.

"Okay," I said. "But if it gets too much, it's no big deal if Gianna drives to my place and rides to and from work with me. I'm closer to downtown than you all are, so the commute's not as bad for me. Just keep it in mind."

"We will," he said.

"Because I'm part of the family now, right?" I asked.

"Right," he replied.

We chatted a little more as we finished our food. I enjoyed moments like this, for some reason to me, they felt 'coupley'. Angie bustled about never ungluing her cell phone from her ear, yapping all the while.

By the time we finished eating, the cakes in the oven were done.

"I feel like I'm watching a cooking show," New Business said.

He watched me set the cakes out to cool, then prepare more batter to pour into the next two waiting pans.

"Like I said, I'm old hat at this," I replied. "My mom hates cooking and baking, but both my grandmothers loved it and rubbed off on me. I actually like baking way more than cooking."

"You're a great cook," he said defensively.

"I didn't say I was bad," I replied as he laughed. "Just that I don't like it as much as baking."

The reverent way in which he quietly watched my every move started to unnerve me, but thankfully Maggie called him and he stepped away. I got the cakes put in the oven, then I sat next to him on the couch. When he ended the call, he turned to me.

"Can we go to your room?" he asked.

I raised my eyebrow warily. "I can't let these cakes burn."

"I promise I'll behave," he said with a grin, "but I have something to tell you. We can come back out here after. But I need to talk to you in private."

"Is something wrong with Maggie?" I asked, alarmed. He'd just talked to her on the phone.

"No," he replied. "This isn't about her at all."

He did look very serious so I led him to my bedroom. He sat down on the edge of my bed and quickly and easily pulled me onto his lap.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I stroked his cheek. He looked very nervous as he stared at me with those intense eyes.

"My first sales trip for Summit-Meyer is next week."

I gasped and he nodded his head sadly. We both knew that this run of togetherness would come to an end at some point because of the nature of his job. Still, it sucked to hear.

"The whole week?" I asked.

"The sales visit is just Monday and Tuesday," he said, "but then we're going to another tech conference the rest of the week. I won't be back until next Saturday night."

"And you just found out?" I asked skeptically. I knew better; trips like these required advance planning.

"No," he admitted. "But I wanted to wait to tell you; I didn't want to ruin what we had going. I didn't want you to be upset."

I wanted to tease him, or crack some joke, but I couldn't; I was simply too sad. Instead, we looked at each other with glum expressions. A week-and-a-half of no New Business was going to make for some tough nights in my bed. I sighed.

"I understand," I said as I kissed him quickly and caressed his cheek. "It's gonna suck though. Especially now."

"Yeah," he said as he leaned his forehead against mine and rubbed my thigh. "Especially now."

We knew what that simple statement meant: especially now that we'd declared our love.

"You don't need to keep stuff like that from me," I said. "Your job involves traveling; I knew that from the beginning. You were traveling the first day I met you. Just tell me. Okay?"

"From now on, I will," he replied.

I stood and reached out my hand to him, which he took as he stood.

"At least last night was memorable," I said as I wriggled my eyebrows at him this time. He guffawed.

"That it was," he said. "That it was."

"We'll still talk," I said, "don't be sad."

"These trips used to be like vacations for me," he said. "Now that I have you, I'm not looking forward to the traveling at all. I miss you all the time when we're not together. I hate it."

"I miss you too," I said, almost brought to tears by his heartfelt admission. "This is exactly how I felt when we left San Diego."

"It was?" he asked, looking at me sadly.

"Yeah," I said. "I knew then that what I felt for you went way deeper than anything I'd ever felt before. I didn't know if you felt the same way or how serious you were, and what I'd do if you weren't."

"I thought all that and a whole lot more," he said bitterly.

"We have to remember that we're just starting out and getting used to this," I said. "I'm sure two or three months from now, there'll be days when we can't stand the sight of each other."

He smirked.

"And we'll get through those times too," I said.

"I already miss you," he whispered which just about ripped my heart out.

"I already miss you too," I said.

"Can't you come up with your own sad line?" he asked as I laughed.

"Not when what you say fits how I feel," I replied.

He pulled my hand and we walked toward my bedroom door.

"C'mon," he said. "I know Angie's here and I know you gotta listen out for your cakes. _But_ I still have time to cop some feels and make out with you on the couch before you go to bed."

I laughed, then looked up at him with a ridiculously silly grin.

"You always know just what to say to make a girl feel special."

* * *

**A/N:**

**1. Yes, last time I said this was supposed to be the Thanksgiving chapter. Welp, Caius and Gianna had other plans ;0p**

**2. I've finally created a blog for the story! All the chapters will be posted there, in addition to pics and other info related to the story. There's a link to the blog in my profile but here it is as well: morefromgjficfan dot blogspot dot com. **

**3. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**Again, many thanks for the reviews. I love all your thoughts and comments!**

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 8**

**BPOV **

"What the hell do you have in all these bags?" I asked Angie as I locked the apartment door.

"Just a few things for some of my family," she said.

"A few? This is our third trip to the car."

"You don't want to see how much I take home for Christmas," she said.

I rolled my eyes at her as she laughed; together, we walked to my car and put the last of the bags inside.

"Is this everything?" I asked as I took one last look into the backseat to make sure that all the cakes were in good position before I started the car.

"This is it," she said as she fastened her seatbelt.

After stopping for gas, we finally began our trip to Forks.

"I love this car," Angie said once we made it to the highway. "I think I'll have to get a new one sooner than I'd planned. I hate to say it, but mine's on its last legs."

"That car lasted a long time," I replied. "It couldn't hurt to start looking. You drive a lot. You need a reliable car, especially since it's getting colder."

"True," she said. "Ben's been making more and more comments about it. I know he'd like me to have something more reliable."

"He wants his sweet little Angie safe and sound," I said, making kissing noises at her. "He wubs you."

Angie laughed. "When we met that day at happy hour, I never thought it would turn this serious. He's a great guy. I know it's too soon, but I love him."

I snorted. "I'm in no position to judge. Cupid got me with his arrow too."

"You and Emmett are perfect for each other," she said.

"He does understand me pretty well," I replied. "He asked me last night if it bothered you that he comes over so much."

"I wouldn't know how much he's there," she replied. "I'm hardly there anymore."

"That's what I told him," I said.

"I didn't ask you here just so I could leave you all by yourself," Angie said. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" I asked. "It has to be hard for you at the apartment. You and Eric were there for a long time."

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"I should have thought about that when I moved here," I said. "We could've looked for a new place together. But, oh yeah, I didn't know you'd broken up."

She grimaced, and I felt badly for making my little joke.

"I was just... I don't know, in a daze or something," she said. "I never thought he'd do something like that to me."

"Do something like what?" I asked. "You said you grew apart, and that you had a long talk when he wanted to go so far away for school."

She chewed on her lip, a clear sign that there was more to this story.

"Angela, I'm your best friend. What are you not telling me?"

"He cheated on me," she said quickly.

My mouth fell open as I briefly turned to stare at her.

"I should have told you," she said. "But Bella, I felt so stupid."

"I know that had to be hard on you," I said. "But why didn't you tell me? We're best friends."

Over the course of our friendship, we only saw each other a few times a year, if that, but we talked _all _the time. We shared so much, yet I knew nothing about this whole incident.

"It's embarrassing," she said. "I didn't want to talk about it."

"I feel like the worst friend in the world," I said. "I thought you sounded a little odd right before you asked me to move here, but I didn't press."

"I didn't want you too," she said. "I didn't want to talk about it or think about it."

That made sense, I supposed, and she didn't need me harping about it.

"How did you find out?" I asked.

"One day, near the end of the school year, I got to work and realized I didn't have my wallet," she said. "We'd gone out the night before, and I remembered having it out in his car. I tried to call him a few times, but he never answered."

I'd never really cared for Eric all that much, truth be told. He had a squirrely, weasely quality about him, but Angie liked him, so I always bit my tongue.

"I really needed my wallet that day because after school, I was going out with some of the other teachers," she said. "On my lunch break, I called him again, but he still wouldn't answer. So I drove to his job. It wasn't that far."

"He worked at that research place, right?" I asked.

"Right," she said. "He worked in the lab almost all the time. He hardly ever had meetings, and unless something was wrong with him, there was no reason why he couldn't have called me back that morning."

"I know I haven't heard the whole story yet," I said, "but fuck him. You're so much better off."

"I know," she said. "I got there and went in. They paged him, and he came down to meet me. We went out to his car, but he was really upset. He kept saying I should have called him from school and that he would've brought it to me."

Just listening to her story made me angry; I could only imagine how she felt.

"I told him that I _did _try to call him and asked what his problem was. He wouldn't say anything else, but I knew something was really wrong. I found my wallet in his car, and he was in a big hurry for me to leave."

"That little rat-faced asshole," I said, fuming.

Angie chuckled bitterly before she continued. "He'd been distant even before then and his behavior that day just confirmed that something was up. I told him I wanted to talk to him when we got home. When I drove away, I noticed that he was talking to a woman who'd come outside. It looked like he was calming her down. She'd probably been watching us the whole time."

"Tell me he didn't bring her to the apartment," I said.

"He says he never did," she replied, "but he's obviously a liar, so I don't know. That night, he told me about her. He said he was tired of living a lie. According to him, she started working there a few months before and they hit it off."

"I'll bet," I replied as I shook my head.

Angie laughed weakly. "I know, right? I stayed calm and listened. He admitted he didn't want to be with me anymore, and I admitted I was tired of him too."

"Even though you talked about getting married and having kids sometimes, it never seemed like a great love," I said.

"You know how shy I was when I was younger," she replied. "I never had much attention from guys so when his family moved to Forks and Eric was nice to me, maybe I built it up in my head to be more than it was. I'll always be grateful to him for pushing me to go to school here though. Before him, I hadn't thought about moving so far away from home. I love Seattle now."

"First boyfriends do make us a little crazy," I said. "I remember planning to have six kids with the first guy I dated and we weren't even that serious."

Angie laughed at me and I laughed with her, happy to see her loosening up.

"I would have appreciated it if he hadn't cheated," she said, "but something else would have broken us up anyway. We were done."

"Is he really going to Duke?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "He told me about Duke that night too. What I told you before is all true, I just left out the cheating part. I felt like such a fool."

"Did he leave right then?" I asked.

"Yes, he left that night and got his brother to help him move out that weekend."

"What about the lease?" I asked.

"He wanted to break it and pay the penalty, but I didn't want to have to find a new place on top of everything else, so we just got his name taken off."

"Why did you want to stay when you had so much history with him there?" I asked.

"I really liked that apartment," she said. "I knew I couldn't afford to stay there by myself for long, but I also couldn't afford to pay for movers and a new place either."

"I know this might sound harsh," I said, "but how do you not have more money saved up? You're not a big spender and you don't have a car payment."

"Instead of saving more, I've been trying to pay off my school loans," she said. "I didn't get very much scholarship money for college and you know my parents couldn't help much. There was only so much money to go around to all us kids."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I hope I didn't sound judgmental. I was just curious."

"I know," she said. "Believe me, I was kicking myself for not saving more. But the good news is, I'll be done paying my loans this year."

"That is good," I said.

"When Eric left, I honestly thought I'd be okay in that apartment," she said. "I'd just pretend he'd never been there."

"You always were a dreamer," I said as we cracked up laughing.

"But I couldn't even sleep in that bed anymore," she said. "I slept on the couch until you moved in."

I sighed. "I hate that you went through this," I said. "But it forced you to ask me to move here and let's face it, you can't live without me."

She cackled, and I did too. I wanted to keep her laughing. She'd had enough sadness.

"You're right," she said, wiping her eyes. "I would be nothing without you."

"Is that everything?" I asked, turning briefly to smirk at her. "Any other secrets you want to share? Do you have a secret kid that I don't know about? Are you really a vampire?"

"No more secrets," she said as she laughed. "That's the whole story. Now that I'm with Ben, I feel stupider by the day for wasting ten years of my life on Eric."

"I'm just glad you didn't marry him or have kids with him," I said, not wanting her to beat herself up.

"I know," she said. "I think deep down, I always knew he wasn't who I was supposed to be with, but it's so easy to stay in a bad relationship."

"I can understand that," I said. "Because when you're not in a relationship, people ask you about it constantly. I was never serious with any of the guys I dated, but it was nice to tell all the busybodies at work that I was dating someone when they asked. People are so nosey."

"You're right," she said. "It was easy to be a part of 'Angie and Eric'. I didn't really know how to be just Angie."

"I'm not judging here," I said, "but I've asked the same thing of myself. Are you sure you're not rushing things with Ben?"

She snorted as she laughed this time. "Believe me," she said, "I'm not the one rushing things in our relationship. Ben's ready to settle down. He's 35 and he ..."

"Is he?" I asked. "I thought he was the same age as us."

"I know," she said, chuckling. "He looks younger than I do. He's really serious. I think he's going to propose soon. He's been dropping way too many hints."

I turned to look at her quickly with my mouth hanging open.

"Oh my god," I said. "How do you feel about that?"

"I'm fine with it," she said. "In two months, I feel closer to him than I ever felt to Eric. I'm thankful every day that I met him. He's the sweetest guy; his family's great too. I'm telling my family about him this weekend."

"I'll pray for you," I said as she laughed.

"I'm not telling them about the cheating," she said. "Mom and Angel would never let me hear the end of it."

"I don't blame you," I said. "They're entirely too dramatic."

For as long as I'd known them, Angie's mother and sister had constantly nagged her about improving her appearance specifically to attract and keep a man. They would never let this go if they knew.

"I know your mom and sister know I'm living with you now," I said. "What did you tell them about Eric?"

"I told them that he left to do some research before he starts at Duke and that you came to live with me to help out with expenses until he gets back."

"Oh what tangled webs we weave," I said as she chuckled.

"I know," she said.

"Obviously, I don't know Ben as well as you do," I said, "but he seems like a great guy. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," she said. "Maybe we can have a double wedding."

I laughed rather boisterously at that comment.

"It's not _that _funny," she said. "Aren't you and Emmett serious?"

"We're very serious," I replied as I laughed. "But we're not even close to thinking about marriage."

"You sure about that?" she asked. "He's really in love with you. Even Ben says so."

"I'm sure," I replied. "Don't get me wrong, we do love each other. But, I'm telling you, we're not getting married anytime soon."

That's all I said to Angie about the subject, but I'd thought about this in depth. Emmett had an enormous amount of responsibility in his family; he always had. As much as we loved each other and as much time as we spent together, I knew in my gut that marriage - - - and all the responsibilities that it entailed - - - wouldn't be happening for us in the near future.

"So what about the apartment?" I asked, shifting the focus back on to Angie. "If Ben's this serious, has he asked you to move in yet?"

From the corner of my eye, I noticed her chewing on her lip, a clear sign that she was nervous.

"Yes, he has," she said.

"I guess that was a stupid question," I said, chuckling. "You've practically moved in as it is. What do you want to do about the apartment? I'd like to stay there, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind," she said. "It's your home too; you're on the lease now."

I waited for her to answer the other part of my question but she said nothing; instead, she started wringing her hands in her lap.

"Angie, what about the apartment?" I asked. "You can't think I'd expect you stay until the lease is up if you want to move in with Ben."

"I can't leave you there to pay the rent and utilities all by yourself," she said.

"That lease isn't up until April," I said. "You can barely stand to be in the apartment now. Why would I ask you to stay for five more months? I can afford it; you know that. If you want to move in with Ben, do it. I want you to be happy."

She didn't say anything, but she started chewing her lip again. This had obviously been bothering her. I decided to approach the matter from another angle.

"Are you telling me you're perfectly content in our apartment?" I asked in a softer tone.

She sighed. "No," she said. "Everything there reminds me of Eric. But I can't ..."

I could tell she was becoming upset, which wasn't my intention.

"Do you want to live in the apartment anymore?" I asked, again in my softer voice.

She pulled a tissue from her purse and started wiping her eyes.

"It's a yes or no question," I said quietly.

After several moments, she finally spoke.

"No," she whispered.

"That's settled then," I said. "I'll call the rental office next week."

"That's not fair to you though," she shouted, full-on crying at this point. "You're only here because of me!"

"I'm certainly not claiming to have as much money as Bill Gates or the Olsen twins or people like that," I said with a chuckle, "but I'm doing okay. My grandparents all left me money when they died, I have money saved from working, and I never had to pay rent before now. Plus, I'm frugal. I'm not bragging but ..."

"I know you're not bragging," she said, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

"But that's how it is," I said. "I don't want you miserable when you don't have to be. This is _so_ not a problem for me, Angie."

"I can't make you do that," she said.

"You're not making me do anything," I said. "When you move, I'll get new furniture and stuff to make it more my place, so it wouldn't really feel like it did when you lived there with Eric. You wouldn't mind that would you?"

"Of course not," she said. "But I feel horrible sticking you with the lease."

"I'd feel horrible making you stay somewhere that makes you miserable for five more months," I said.

"Miserable is a little over the top," she said with a smirk, finally coming around a little.

"Maybe so," I replied. "But you know what I mean. Life's too short. We've both seen how much our lives can change in the course of a few months."

"True," she said. "But you just got this car and ..."

"And if I'd moved here on my own, I'd have all these same bills."

She nodded a little and seemed to have stopped crying.

"I'm not pushing you out," I said as she chuckled. "I just want to make it clear that I won't have a problem if you leave before the lease is up."

"Thanks," she said. "I've been worried about this."

"You worried about something," I said. "There's a shock."

"Shut up. You know how I am," she said as we laughed together. "Ben told me to talk to you about this but I could never bring it up. Part of me thinks it's too soon to move in with him, but the other part of me doesn't care."

"I understand that completely," I said. "I've been trying to tell myself to slow down with Emmett, but I just don't want too. I've kissed a lot of frogs. I know I've got a prince this time."

Angie laughed, and I was glad that her spirits were up again. "You don't think we're rushing things because we're getting close to 30?"

"Maybe, subconsciously, we are," I said. "But I think we're old enough to know what we want. And even if we're making giant mistakes, and even if things don't work out, we'll still have each other. That's never going to change."

"It's not," she said. "I'm glad we talked about this."

"Me too," I said. "I'll call about the lease and the utilities next week. You can stay or you can leave, but I'm putting it all in my name."

She nodded her head but sighed. "Since you're willing to do this, I'll take care of the furniture. You bought all the stuff in your room, but the rest, I'll get rid of."

"I can get it moved," I said.

"No," she said. "You're doing enough. Don't forget, I'm a teacher. We're hard-working but underpaid souls."

I cracked up laughing as she continued.

"I can think of three different people I work with who've moved recently and might be looking for furniture," she said.

"I'd like to keep those kitchen barstools, if that's okay," I said.

"Those are nice," she said. "I bought those and Eric hated them."

"They're perfect then," I said as we laughed again.

"I hate that you have to buy all new stuff though," she said.

"I won't be buying a thing," I said, chuckling.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I haven't had a chance to tell you but Renée's coming to visit for Christmas," I said.

"I know where you're going with this," she said with a smirk. "Isn't that kind of devious and wrong?"

"No, it's not," I said. "It's a win-win situation. She _always_ used to try to take me shopping with her and I always refused. This is a real opportunity for her to do just that. I'll tell her what happened to you and that we both want a fresh start. I guarantee you I'll have a newly furnished apartment before she leaves."

"This feels wrong," she said, though she laughed.

"Feels perfectly right from this seat," I said as she cackled.

"Ugh, this is gonna cost you so much money," she said after a while. "You didn't plan for this."

"It's called life," I said. "Shit happens. I'm happy in Seattle, and I have you to thank for bringing me here. If staying in that apartment makes you unhappy, then you shouldn't be there."

I wasn't reveling in Angie's pain or anything, but I was actually a little excited. I'd never had my own place before. And I was absolutely serious about Renée: she'd piss herself she'd be so excited.

"Thanks," she said. "Do you think maybe Emmett could move in? That would help cut the expenses."

"I don't know," I said. "I'll talk to him."

I'd told Angie that Emmett lived with his family but I hadn't gone into much detail. I actually didn't think he would move in, and I wasn't sure that I wanted him to just yet. He never said, but I knew there was a part of him that liked being at home where he could keep tabs on his family, even if he did spend a lot of time with me. And I was perfectly okay with that.

Angie and I spent the rest of the trip discussing our plans for ourselves in the immediate and long-term future. I couldn't help but feel that our honest talk was a good omen for the weekend ahead.

* * *

The combination of too much good food and too much laughing left my stomach a little achy, but all in all I had a great time at the Webers for Thanksgiving dinner and so did Charlie. Back at home, he and I sat on the couch recuperating, talking, and watching TV.

"Do you have much of a scar from the cyst removal?" I asked him.

"Nope," he said. "It healed up good." He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled down his undershirt so I could see the tiny scar.

"That doesn't look so bad," I said.

"Not at all," he said. "I read that sometimes they pop up again, but I haven't felt any more."

"Do you have to go back to the specialist?" I asked as he buttoned his shirt back up.

"No," he replied. "He said I can follow-up here with Dr. Gerandy."

"That's good," I said. "How are you feeling otherwise?"

"Pretty good," he said. "I don't know what caused that thing, but I _had _been running myself ragged. I think it was a wakeup call for me to slow down and take care of myself. I've cut back on my hours, letting some of the younger guys get more time. Sue's been giving me all kinds of vitamins and stuff, and we've been going on more hikes and walks. I feel better."

"Good," I said as I grinned at him. "We want you to stick around."

"I'm not going anywhere for a long time if I can help it," he replied with a grin of his own. "By the way, I'll just go ahead and say it now. 'I told you so'."

I laughed loudly, as did he.

"Don't gloat," I said. "It's beneath you."

"I know you think I'm just dumb old dad, but I knew Emmett was serious the minute I saw him."

"I don't think you're dumb," I said, laughing. "I was just a little slow on the uptake."

Charlie laughed so hard he grabbed his stomach.

"How'd you find out anyway? I was going to tell you this weekend."

"How do you think?" he replied. "Your mother."

I shook my head. I should have known Renee couldn't resist telling Charlie about my relationship.

"Just this once, I'll say it, 'You were right and I was wrong'."

"Music to my ears," he said. "I'm happy for you. He's a good guy."

"He is. But you really don't even know him," I said.

"I'm a cop," he said. "I like to think I'm a good judge of character. He's a good man. I approve."

Again, I doubled over laughing. "Thanks," I said as Charlie grinned.

"Like I said before, watch yourselves at work," he said.

"He doesn't work with me anymore," I said. "He took a new job, about a month ago."

This made Charlie smile even wider.

"Your mother didn't tell me that part," he said.

"Of course not, it wasn't juicy enough," I replied as he laughed harder. "Did she tell you she's coming to Seattle for Christmas? Phil too."

"She did," he replied.

"I've tried to prepare Emmett," I said.

"Not much you can do to prepare for her," he said.

"He'll see for himself," I said.

"He will," Charlie said. "What does he do for fun? I know he likes football. Does he fish?"

"I don't think so," I said. "The only thing I know that he does on a regular basis is work out. He's at the gym all the time."

"I'll take him fishing sometime," Charlie said. "He'll like it."

"I'm sure he'll like that," I said with a warm smile. "I told him he has to come with me here soon. He seemed excited."

"Why wouldn't he be?" Charlie asked, pretending to be hurt. "I'll be a good father-in-law. We can ..."

"Dad," I said, raising my eyebrow in warning, "stop it right now. We're just starting our relationship. Nobody said_ anything_ about marriage."

"You're not getting any younger," he said with a perfectly straight face. "You don't wanna be all old when you have kids."

"Dad!" I said, wishing he was kidding but he was dead serious. "We're just starting out. We're not talking kids."

"Yet," Charlie said, smirking again.

"So this is how it's gonna be?" I asked as he continued to grin at me.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "We've been waiting for this for a long time. Don't mess this up, kid."

I could only shake my head as he continued asking me questions about New Business. Charlie always updated me on which of the other police officers had kids and grandkids, and it sounded like he was ready to start giving people some updates of his own.

I patiently answered my father's questions, but his behavior had me very concerned: if Charlie was acting like this, Renée would be _infinitely_ worse.

* * *

At about eleven, I left Charlie downstairs on the couch watching ESPN. After brushing my teeth and changing into one of the old tee shirts I kept to sleep in, I settled into the little bed in my old room and called New Business. Like always, he answered immediately.

"How was dinner?" he asked.

"So good," I replied. "How was yours?"

"A helluva lot better than last year," he said.

"I bet."

I'd texted Emmett to let him know that we'd arrived safely in Forks, but there had been no time to talk all day. As usual when I talked to him, I wore a face-splitting grin at the sound of his voice.

"Your cakes were a definite hit," he said.

"I'm glad," I replied. "Is everybody tucked in after a long day of eating?"

"No," he replied with a chuckle. "Henry's the only one asleep right now. Austin's wide awake; Liam's watching him. Gianna took Ma, Emily, and Kim out shopping about an hour ago. You know some of the stores opened tonight to start the Black Friday deals early."

"Ugh," I replied at the thought. "I feel sorry for all the people who have to work tonight."

"Me too," he said.

"Those crowds don't bother Emily?" I asked with regard to his painfully shy sister.

"As long as she's with Ma and Gianna, she's fine," he said. "It was good to see them so happy again. They used to go out for all the Black Friday stuff all the time before last year. They never buy much; they just like to get out in the crowds."

"I try not to leave the house at all on Black Friday," I said. "My mom and her friends could never get me to go. I'm glad you guys had a good day though."

"Coulda been better," he said. "We missed you."

"We missed you too," I said.

"We?" he asked.

"Me and Charlie," I replied as he laughed. "Just so you know, you'll be going fishing with him, whether you ever planned to or not. Oh, and he already called himself your father-in-law."

"Oookaay," New Business said with a chuckle. "Look, I'm telling you right now, I'm not planning a wedding yet."

"I know," I said. "He's just excited."

"Ma's planning shit already too," he replied. "Emily said she wanted to give away Austin's crib and Ma told her to save it for our baby."

"If Charlie and Maggie are acting like this," I said, "my mom will be worse. Just be prepared."

"People need to let us move at our own pace," he said. "I'm not ready for marriage and kids. Not even close."

This confirmed exactly what I'd been thinking and had said to Angie.

"We just need to keep doing what we've been doing," I said. "Talking and making sure we're doing what we want, not what anybody else wants."

"Yeah," he said. "I wish people would just mind their own fucking business."

Again, he sounded much more serious than was necessary.

"What's this about?" I asked. "You sound upset."

He sighed. "I love you and I don't want my family to mess up what we have. They talk about you all the time, even the kids, making all these plans for when they see you. I don't want them putting pressure on you."

"We both have families who love us and want us to be happy," I said. "Now that we're serious, they're excited. That's all it is. I won't let them run me off and I know you won't let my parents run you off."

"Yeah," he muttered. He sounded off, and I grew concerned.

"Emmett, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I fucking miss you," he said abruptly. "It's only been a fucking day and I miss you. I'm mad that I have to go on this trip for work and won't get to see you for a whole week. I hate it. And I feel like a loser for feeling like this."

Though there was pain in his words, I couldn't help but smile a little at the sentiment. I missed him too.

"First of all, you're not a loser, loser," I replied.

Finally, he laughed.

"Second, like we've already said, we have to learn how to handle these feelings," I said. "There's no point getting angry or upset. You have to travel as part of your job. That's just how it is. I might be traveling more for work too. When we're apart, we just have to think of our good times together. And we already have plenty of those."

"I know we do, I was there," he replied with much less attitude. I was happy to hear a smile in his voice.

I attempted to laugh, only it came out as a yawn. It had been a long day, and I was that tired.

"Listen, I'm fading fast over here so I'd better go," I said before I yawned again.

"Any other time, I'd be hurt, but it has been a long fucking day," he said.

"That it has," I said, yawning again. "I didn't even get to tell you about my talk with Angie. I'll tell you when I talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too," he said as we ended the call.

With another smile caused by New Business plastered on my face, I fell into a sound sleep.

* * *

I woke up feeling more well rested than I had in a long time. I looked in the mirror and instead of recoiling at the sight, I chuckled, struck by a crazy whim.

Since New Business missed me so much, I decided to send him a picture of myself in all my pre-shower morning glory: messy, tangled hair, sleepy eyes, and hole-ridden ratty tee shirt. I puckered my lips and attempted to pose sexily, which was difficult because I kept laughing at the ridiculousness of my silly idea. I finally settled on a shot that I thought was a perfect mix of playful and sexy and sent it to Emmett. A few minutes later, my cell phone rang.

"Fucking tease," he said when I answered. I guffawed.

"If you're turned on by this, I won't ever have to buy lingerie," I replied. I collapsed back onto the bed with a stupid grin on my face.

"You know I like how you look in the morning," he replied as he laughed. "Seriously, thanks. This makes my day. I just got to work and ..."

"What are you at work for?" I shrieked. "It's Saturday!"

"Umm, _no_, it's Friday," he said.

"Shit, I'm all messed up," I said as we both laughed. "I needed this break."

"Obviously," he said. "And sometimes, I will have to work on Saturdays. I did before, I will again."

"Are you guys getting ready for your trip?" I asked, curious about his reply. He didn't talk much about his new job or the people he worked with.

"Yeah," he replied with a sigh.

"Don't you like your job?" I asked. "You've only been there a month."

"I know," he said. "I'm not down about it, it's just really intense. I still have a lot to learn."

"That's gotta be tough on somebody like you who thinks he knows everything," I said.

"You're gonna pay for that next time I see you," he said.

"Can't wait," I said in my husky voice as he laughed. "Since you're at work, I'll let you ..."

"I have a few minutes still," he said, interrupting me. "What were you gonna tell me about Angie? Is she okay?"

It was becoming pretty clear to me that my boyfriend was almost as big a worrier as my best friend.

"She's fine," I replied. "On the ride here, we had a long talk about the apartment. Just like I said, she admitted that it reminds her of Eric and she doesn't like to be there. The lease isn't up until April and I told her it wasn't a problem if she wants out. Next week, I'm putting the lease in my name."

"Will that be a problem?" he asked.

"No," I replied. "They checked my credit and everything when I got put on the lease in the first place. We'll just have to sign some paperwork saying that we both agree."

"Is she moving in with Ben?" he asked. "Isn't that fast?"

"Whenever she moves, yes, she'll be moving in with him," I replied. "She said he already asked her to."

"It's not really fair to you though," he said. "You didn't plan on paying the rent and everything by yourself when you moved here."

"That's true," I said. "But like I told her, life's too short to be miserable. If I couldn't have afforded to move here, I wouldn't have done it. I'll be fine."

He was silent on the other end of the phone for several moments. "I'll help you," he said firmly.

I sighed. "You don't have to do that, but I'm not going to argue about it."

"Don't," he said, "because I'm doing it. We both know I'll be over there a lot, I already am. I'll help you."

"Fine," I replied. "Listen, I better get going. Busy day."

"Doing what?" he asked playfully. "I thought you'd be sleeping all day. I'm actually surprised you're up so early."

"First, I have some people to see," I said. "I always try to visit some of my grandparents' friends when I'm here. That keeps their memory alive more for me than going to the cemetery."

"I don't like cemeteries either," Emmett said quietly. I nodded, then realized that he couldn't see me.

"After I make my rounds, then I'm going grocery shopping," I said. "I always cook a bunch of stuff for Charlie when I visit and I freeze some of it for him. He loves that. Then tomorrow, I'm spending the day with Sue at La Push."

"What's La Push?" he asked.

"It's a town," I replied. "It's the home of the Quileute Indians. Sue's Quileute."

"You do have a busy weekend planned," he said.

"I told you," I replied.

"All right then, I have a meeting to get to," he said. "Talk to you tonight."

"Okay," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Visiting with my grandparents' friends always left me with good memories of them and today had been no different. I also stopped by to see Mrs. Warner, the town librarian; we'd become good friends over the years. Each person I visited pointed out how happy I seemed.

Mid-afternoon, _much_ later than I'd planned, I pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store. I'd just stepped out of the car and headed over to retrieve a cart when Mrs. Weber and Angel, Angie's mother and sister, loudly accosted me. The determined way that they marched over to me made it clear that Angie had told them about all the changes in her life.

"I knew there was more to you moving in with Angie," Mrs. Weber said as she yanked a cart from the rack. "Didn't I say it, Angel?"

"You did," Angel replied as she too grabbed a cart and put her infant son into the front of it. "I _never_ liked Eric. She was too good for him."

"The whole family was trash," Mrs. Weber said with all the preacher's-wife judgment she could muster. "I was so glad when they moved away."

"I'd be upset that he had the nerve to break up with her," Angel said as we walked inside, "but I'm too freaking happy."

"Did she say he broke up with her?" I asked.

"She said it was mutual, but I could read between the lines," Angel said, rolling her eyes. "I told her this would happen. You_ have_ to keep men interested, even dorks like Eric."

"I'm glad you moved in," Mrs. Weber said. "You didn't have too. Not many people would uproot their whole lives to clean up a friend's mess."

"You've always been a good friend to her," Angel said.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing at them. They always behaved this way, talking together nonstop. Much like Emmett's family, the Webers made mountains out of the smallest molehills.

"Where is Angie?" I asked while there was a lull. "I called her this morning but she didn't answer."

"Dad overheard us talking and he found out she'd been living with Eric," Angel said, looking much too pleased by all the drama and gossip. "He's talking to her and praying about her life."

"_Our _prayers have been answered," Mrs. Weber said. "I hoped she'd come to her senses about that boy. She's a beautiful girl. If she'd just get rid of those glasses, she'd have her pick of men."

"Angie's beautiful with or without the glasses," I said.

"I know she is," Mrs. Weber said, "but she doesn't even_ try_."

I bit my lip again as she wrinkled her nose at Angie's behavior. Mrs. Weber took her role as wife of the religious leader of the town's biggest church very seriously. She was very much about appearances and she'd never been happy with Angie's.

"She's with Ben now and they're happy, so she must be doing something right," I said in defense of my friend.

"Yes, she told us about him and showed us some pictures. He's _much _more suitable," Mrs. Weber said.

"He looks good," Angel said. "Definite upgrade."

"And he has a job. He won't be a student for the rest of his life like Eric," Mrs. Weber said.

"Angie told us about your new guy too," Angel said.

"I couldn't be happier for the both of you girls," Mrs. Weber said. "Neither one of you is getting any younger."

They continued this way the entire time we moved through the store. Every time I tried to get away, they followed me. I barely got more than two sentences in the entire time. I didn't need to. When I made it back to my car, I called Angie immediately.

"Freaking shoot me now," she said when she answered the phone. I cackled.

"Yeah, well, I have no sympathy for you because I just ran into Angel and your mom at the market," I said.

She groaned.

"Oh, and thanks for selling me out too," I said.

"Sorry," she said as we laughed together. "I got tired of them telling me how much they always hated Eric so I tried to deflect."

"Well, you'll be happy to know," I said in a snobby tone, "that it pleases your dear sweet mother to no end that we're not turning out to be old spinster lesbians after all."

Angie gasped. "She didn't say that."

"She did," I replied, still laughing as Angie groaned again. "What are they doing here anyway? I thought you'd all be up in Port Angeles shopping today."

"We're going tomorrow," she said. "And we need more food because they sent most of the leftovers from Thanksgiving home with people, and the twins have eaten just about everything else."

Angie's youngest siblings, her twin brothers, were visiting from college and were among the many family members still at the Weber home.

"They're huge," I replied. "I don't remember them being that big last year."

"They say they're trying to bulk up for baseball," she said. "They've been eating nonstop. It's ridiculous."

I talked and laughed with Angie for another fifteen minutes. When I finished talking to her, I called Charlie, who was already home from work, and asked him to turn on the oven. By the time I got there, Sue had arrived as well.

"Pictures," she demanded after I set the grocery bags down and hugged her.

"Didn't dad give you a good enough description?" I asked sarcastically as they laughed.

"Before you two start gabbing," Charlie said. "What's happening with dinner? I'm starving. I thought you'd have been back by now."

"Won't take long," I said as Sue laughed. We both knew how grumpy my dad was when he was hungry. "I would've been back sooner but I ran into Angel and Mrs. Weber."

"Say no more," Charlie said as he grimaced. He and Sue unpacked the grocery bags while I washed my hands and quickly set about making a dish of pico de gallo for them. When I put it in front of them with some chips, they dove in without delay.

"I'm a little hungry too," Sue said when I looked at her.

As I moved about the kitchen preparing their requested dinner of chicken enchiladas, I kept them laughing hysterically with stories about the Webers and other people I'd seen today. When I had the enchiladas made and put into the oven, I pulled out my cell phone and showed Sue a few pictures of New Business that I'd taken.

"Handsome!" Sue said as Charlie peeked over her shoulder. "I can't wait to meet him!"

"He's coming to visit," Charlie said around a mouthful of pico and chips.

"When?" Sue asked excitedly.

"I don't know," I said as I chuckled. "I told him he'd have to visit here someday and he said he would."

"Renee's coming to Seattle for Christmas," Charlie said. "You know Bells will cook a big dinner for everybody, so we can go down and you can meet him them."

"Perfect!" Sue replied. "I'll make sure I'm off from work."

Sue worked at the Quileute Marina in La Push; we'd actually be spending part of our day there tomorrow.

"What would you like me to make for this big dinner that you've just announced?" I asked as they laughed even harder at me.

"Whatever," Charlie replied, not ashamed in the least, "I'm not picky."

"Have you met his family?" Sue asked.

"I have," I replied.

"Are they coming to the dinner?" Sue asked.

"Up until five seconds ago, there was no dinner, so your guess is as good as mine," I replied.

"Oh, don't get upset," Sue said as they continued laughing at me. "You're a beautiful, smart, kind young woman and your father and I just want you to be happy. That's all. We're just a little excited."

I smiled, appeased.

"I guess it does make sense to get the families together for Christmas dinner," I said, thinking aloud. "Or maybe Christmas eve."

"If you're serious about each other, the families have to meet sometime," Sue said, pushing a little.

"You should call and ask before you leave," Charlie said. "That way we'll know, and I can make sure I'm off. It's only a month away."

They actually made good sense, so I decided to call Emmett right then.

"Be right back," I said, jumping up from my seat.

"I never seen her move that fast," Charlie mumbled.

"Heard that, dad," I yelled as Sue laughed.

Like always, when New Business answered the phone I couldn't contain my grin.

"I miss you," he said immediately.

"You just talked to me this morning," I replied as I leaned back on my bed. "Don't be a baby."

He guffawed, as I'd hoped.

"How's it going there?" I asked.

"Good," he said. "I'm about to leave work now."

"Did Gianna say if she had any problems at work?" I asked. I'd worried about her alone there today, without me or Alice, as she set up for the morning meetings.

"Nobody said anything to me if she did," he replied. "I talked to Ma a little while ago. Gianna picked them up and took them all out in the Black Friday crowds again after she left work."

"I can tell you right now, I won't be doing the Black Friday thing," I said with a little shiver.

"You say that," he replied, openly laughing at me, "but Ma and Gianna can be very persuasive."

I groaned. "Listen, I can't talk long, I've got dinner cooking, but my dad brought up something I wanted to ask you about."

"Ask away," he said.

"My dad and Sue think it would be a good idea to have a Christmas dinner so our families can meet," I said. "My mom and Phil will be in town, and Charlie and Sue said they'd come too. I think it's a great idea, but what do you think?"

New Business was very quiet on his end of the phone. After what felt like forever, he sighed. "I think it's a good idea," he said grudgingly. "I know they need to meet. They should."

I decided to ignore his tone and focus on his words.

"What do you guys usually do for Christmas?" I asked. "If you already do a big dinner, maybe we could have it the day before or after."

"We usually do a big Christmas breakfast," he said. "And even if we did have big dinner plans, they'd happily change them for you."

"What about you though?" I said. "You don't sound really happy about this. If it's going to make you upset, I don't want to do it."

"It's not about me being upset," he said, sighing again. "You know how it is with my family."

"You've only met my dad," I said. "He's the most easygoing member of my family by far. So don't go putting the Swans up on some pedestal. Your family's not the only one with issues."

Finally, he laughed... a little. "Okay," he said. "Where do you wanna do this? If it's ..."

I sighed this time. I wanted to tell him not to worry and that we'd decide where to have it later, but I knew him, and I knew_ them. _They'd be stressed out majorly at the thought of bringing my family into their home.

"I'd like to have it at my place, if that's okay," I said carefully, trying to anticipate his concerns. "Angie will be back here in Forks for Christmas, and there's plenty of space for everyone to have dinner at the apartment."

I could hear the relief in his voice when he spoke. I was getting good at figuring out New Business. "That sounds great," he said. "Do you want Ma to make some stuff? I'm sure she will."

Damn, he was fast. I didn't think he'd already start worrying about the actual dinner. But he knew his mother well, and now that I thought about it, as soon as he mentioned this, she _would _start planning what to make.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll work that out later," I said. "You worry a lot; don't think I haven't noticed."

"What you call worrying," he said, "I call being prepared."

"Touché, New Business," I said as he cracked up laughing. "I need to go. I think dinner's done, but I'll call you later."

"Not if I call you first," he replied. "I love you."

"Love you too," I said as I ended the call.

I thought I'd get tired of those three little words, but so far, I most definitely had not.

I bounded down the stairs and back into the kitchen where Charlie and Sue sat contentedly dining on enchiladas.

"They were done," Charlie said.

"I knew you wouldn't let them burn," I said as they laughed. I fixed a plate for myself, poured a glass of water, and sat down.

"So?" Sue asked.

"Christmas dinner with the families is on," I replied.

"This oughta be good," Charlie said as he shook his head and smirked.

Sue asked me all about Emmett and his family over the course of dinner. Charlie sat quietly and didn't interrupt, but I knew he took in my every word.

"This'll be my first time meeting Renée too," said Sue. "It should be a very interesting trip."

I raised my eyebrow at Charlie and he smirked back at me.

"Like I said before, this oughta be good," he replied as we laughed again.

I talked to Sue and Charlie for a long time as we finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. Sue and I firmed up plans for what time I was to meet her tomorrow. Before she left, she hugged me tightly.

"You should see your face," she said. "I wish you could see what I see. Love looks good on you."

I didn't know why but I teared up as I hugged her back.

"I know you don't say all that mushy stuff to Charlie," I said as she laughed. "So don't try it on me. See ya tomorrow."

"She's right you know," Charlie said to me seriously when we walked back inside.

"You getting soft on me, old man?" I asked with a smirk.

"No," he said, still too serious for my liking. "But I like you happy like this. Emmett's good for you."

"Yeah," I whispered as I teared up again.

* * *

I talked and laughed all day as I spent Saturday in La Push with Sue. Most everyone in the area knew Charlie and regaled me with stories and comments about him when Sue introduced me as his daughter. As I'd hoped, I got to know Sue a lot better, not only by talking to her but also by meeting her family and friends. The rest of my weekend was spent catching up with Charlie as I cooked and froze some of his favorite foods for him.

The ride back to Seattle passed quickly as Angie and I discussed the surprisingly busy weekend we'd had in Forks. We made it home safe and sound, and before she left for Ben's, Angie took pictures of all the big furniture pieces she'd be getting rid of. Emmett called while she was in the middle of it and I told him I'd call him back.

Renée called me not long after Angie left and grilled me about my weekend... and about Sue. She was all for the family dinner, just like they were. When we were caught up, I wasted no time telling her the whole story about Angie. My mom didn't keep in touch with anyone in Forks except for Charlie, so I knew Angie's business was safe.

"I knew there was more to her asking you to move there," Renée said, delighted that I'd confided in her. "I could feel it."

"Do you think I'm being a bad friend?" I asked. "The whole thing with Eric ended badly and she's jumping right in with Ben; it's just been two months since they met."

"I think you're doing exactly what you should be doing," Renée said, "listening and supporting. She knows this is fast, and it is a little soon, but if it doesn't work out, you'll be there to help her with that too. She can just move back in."

"That's what I told her," I said, feeling much better that my mom agreed with my position.

"People make their own choices," she said. "She's doing what's best for her."

"She's going to get rid of all the furniture except my bedroom stuff," I said. "I bought that."

"Now you can decorate the place like you want to. That'll be fun," she said, unable to contain her excitement.

"Yes," I said, setting up my case. "The thing is, I don't have much time for shopping. And you know it's never been my thing. I was wondering if you ..."

That was all I needed to say.

"Of course I'll help you!" she screamed. "I can start looking now online. I can find stores in Seattle, or have things shipped if I find something I like online. Don't you worry about a thing. I know what you like better than you do."

"I'll have a budget of course," I said, trying to keep from laughing, "but ..."

"Budget, smudget," she said. "I've been waiting to do something like this for you forever. This'll be my treat. I can't wait to get started. Take some pictures of the apartment and send them to me."

I knew this was how she would respond. However, I didn't expect her question for me.

"Why do you want to stay in that apartment though?" she asked. "Don't you want to buy a place? A condo or maybe a nice little house?"

"I do," I said. "Just not right now."

"Why?" she asked. "You're wasting your money renting when you could own. We could really have fun house-hunting together when I come visit."

"I'm still getting used to it here," I said. "This apartment is in the perfect spot, it's not all that far from my job, and we don't have parking issues here. Parking's a big deal in Seattle and I have to consider that, and a lot more, when I decide to buy a place. I'm not ready to do that yet when I'm still learning the area."

"Okay," she said. "So long as you've thought about it. When we do buy a place there, we can just move all the furniture."

I snorted. "When _we_ buy a place?"

"Managing your life is a team effort, baby," she said as I howled with laughter. "And I'm the team captain."

When I finally got off the phone with my extremely happy mother, I called Emmett.

"I was starting to think you didn't want to talk to me," he said.

"Poor baby," I said as he laughed. "No, I was just trying to get everything all straightened out."

I gave him a brief update on Angie, and told him about my talk with my mom.

"When's Angie moving out?" he asked. "When I talked to you the other day, I thought it wouldn't be for a while."

"I don't know, but I think it'll be soon," I said. "That's enough about me. How was your flight? How's Montana?"

"No complaints," he said. "I think I'm as prepared as I can be. I doubt I'll make a complete fool of myself."

New Business had always exuded confidence at ATS, but he seemed to have quite a few butterflies in his stomach at the prospect of his first sales pitch for his new job.

"Making a _partial_ fool of yourself is perfectly acceptable. You'll be great," I said, causing him to laugh. "So you're there until Tuesday?"

"Until Wednesday morning, then we fly to Dallas for the tech conference," he replied.

"You must have thousands of frequent flyer miles," I said.

"I do," he replied. "Maybe one day, I can use some on you."

"You better," I replied. "Where's a place you've wanted to go but have never been? That's where we'll go."

"I've never been to Alaska," he said, "but I've always wanted to. It's a date."

"Hmm, I had somewhere warmer and more tropical in mind," I replied.

"I'll keep you warm," he said suggestively.

"I can picture you wriggling your eyebrows at me," I said.

"Busted," he replied as we laughed. "Would you be up for that? I'm serious."

"Definitely," I said. "For one thing, I haven't traveled much at all, so anywhere would be new for me. And for another thing, I'm up for going anywhere with you."

"Aww, I'm blushing," he said sarcastically as I guffawed.

"Before I forget," he said. "Ma wants me to ask you over for dinner next Sunday night. Everybody misses you."

"Sounds good," I said. "Once things settle down a little, I know I need to spend more time with your family but ..."

"You don't need to do anything you don't want to," he said brusquely. "You're busy with work, and with _me._ They'll have to see you when they can."

I smiled. "You are a handful," I said.

"Just one?" he asked.

I cackled. "Way to drag my nice innocent comment into the gutter," I said.

"There's nothing innocent about you or your comments," he said.

"Are you having a_ hard_ time out there by yourself?" I asked, unable to stop laughing.

"Yes, and it's all your fault," he said, though I could hear the smile in his voice. "Sending me hot pictures, teasing me with your sexy voice. You know what you do to me, and you do that shit on purpose."

"Now why would I do that?" I asked sweetly.

"Cuz you like having this power over me," he said.

"Is that so?" I asked in my sexiest voice.

"See, there you go," he said as we both cracked up.

"How_ever_ will you make it to Saturday?" I asked.

"Painfully," he replied as I continued to laugh. "Very painfully."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the trip to Forks!**

**I hope to have the next chapter up a little sooner. **

**As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**Many thanks for your reviews and comments!**

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 9**

**BPOV**

If I hadn't wrapped my head around the fact that Christmas was upon us, I had no choice but to do so when I walked into the lobby of our building at work on Monday. A huge, expertly decorated tree stood near the elevators; garland and wreaths hung from equidistant points around the space. For one moment, I marveled at the beauty of the scene before me, but in the next I groaned: Christmas was officially a month away and I'd done nothing to prepare for it.

On top of decorations for the apartment, and gifts for my expanded group of family and friends, I needed to prepare for the family dinner as well. And what the hell would I get New Business for Christmas?

At my desk, before turning on my computers, I pulled out two notepads and wrote two lists, one on each pad, of all the things I had to do between now and Christmas in my work and personal lives. When I finished, I absolutely wanted to cry.

I pulled myself together and thought about going to see Gianna but, of course, Caius walked in and locked the door behind him.

"You look like you could use another day off," he said, grinning widely at me.

"I could use a few more _weeks _off," I said as he laughed and sat down. "How was your Thanksgiving?"

"Good," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "My sisters were so furious with Carlisle they barely had time to insult me."

Normally, I wouldn't pry but he looked like he was_ itching_ to gossip, so I indulged him.

"Why were they mad at Carlisle?" I asked.

"Because my one and only child has gotten Esme knocked up," he replied with all the dramatic flair he could muster.

"What!" I shrieked.

"Haven't you seen her lately?" he asked, smirking all the while. "She looks _awful._"

"When do I have time to see much of anybody around here?" I asked as he guffawed. "I know you don't have a boss, but mine keeps me busy."

It was the worst kept secret at ATS that Carlisle and Esme, who'd always claimed to be 'childhood friends', maintained a little more than a friendly professional relationship.

"She's trying to hide it," he said. "I don't think they'd planned to tell us, but my sisters figured it out. They're like bloodhounds for gossip. They accused her of getting pregnant on purpose to have access to our money. Esme cried all over the place; Carlisle yelled and screamed. It was quite a dinner."

He looked thrilled to have someone outside of his family to share this with; I'd long said that Alice and I were his only real friends and we didn't even consider him a friend so much as a boss we knew extremely well.

"You don't seem very upset by the news," I said.

He shrugged. "I don't particularly care for her family, but I have no problem with Esme. She doesn't pull her weight around here, but I always knew she wouldn't be here long-term."

"Is she leaving?" I asked.

"It's only a matter of time," he said. "She wants to start a design firm. She hates it here, but Carlisle and Rose like having her around. For her, it's easy money."

I chuckled bitterly. It was_ very _easy money for Esme: with all the responsibilities I had, I was doing at least half, if not three-quarters, of her job as chief of operations.

My boss clearly wasn't done revisiting his eventful Thanksgiving dinner.

"I let my sisters have their say," he added. "There was some truth in their words. I think so anyway. But they went a little too far, and I intervened."

"Well, I'll keep quiet about this," I said, "but if it's as obvious as you say, I'm sure rumors will start. And she'll start showing eventually."

"I know," he replied, "but it's not my problem."

"Grandpa Caius," I said which caused him to beam. "What a spoiled rotten child that will be."

He cracked up laughing. "I admit; I'm excited."

He quickly looked to my blank computer screens. "I take it you haven't checked your e-mails yet."

"I have not," I said, bracing myself for the new onslaught of things he wanted me to do.

"I sent you one last night," he said. "I've had a great idea for ..."

I abruptly cut him off.

"Caius, I don't mean to be rude but I don't think you have any idea of how many things we already need to get done between now and Christmas. I'm not listening to one more idea from you until we meet with Alice."

He cocked his head to the side and grinned at me. "Must you be so reasonable?" he asked.

"Somebody around here has to be," I replied.

"You're probably right," he said, standing up. "Let's go then. She's already here."

We found Alice at her desk, furiously typing up something from a handwritten list of her own.

"List of things to do?" I remarked with a smirk as I showed her my own notepad.

She nodded and released a big sigh. "I like you, Bella," she said, "but your boss is a pain in the ass."

Caius and I laughed as we pulled up seats next to her desk.

"He just tried to give me more stuff to do," I said. "I told him the three of us need to go over what's already in the pipeline."

"Okay, you two win," Caius said with a huge grin. "I'll sit here quietly and listen."

"As you know," Alice said, "we're signed up for two conferences before the end of the year: one in DC, December 11th and 12th, and the other in Vegas on the 17th and 18th. You wanted a booth at both of them."

That was a perfect segue into some of the things on my list.

"Which means," I said, "that all the marketing materials need to be done and approved before then, and the content for the website needs to be finalized too: the 'what we do' copy, the bios for you and the chiefs, and the white paper."

"What's a white paper?" Alice asked.

"It's like a company report," I said. "It helps explain what your company does, what services you offer, and why other businesses need them."

"We didn't already have something like that?" she asked.

"Nope," I replied.

She shook her head as Caius looked back and forth between us with a huge grin on his face. He loved us fussing over him.

"Then," Alice said, "you've got the big year-end lunch meetings with the mayor's group and the Business Alliance, _huge_ meetings with the property management company about the expansion, and all your regular standing appointments."

"The guy from _Corporate Transition_ magazine is still waiting for the interview we promised to give him for his article on you," I said. "He wanted that for his December issue. Plus, Heidi, Riley, and Laurent all asked if I could come up with some basic scripts to help the customer service team when they start getting calls."

"That's important because the customer service team goes live today," Alice said. "And speaking of customer service, you said you wanted me to get all different holiday gifts for the clients this year. You told me you'd get back to me on what you wanted, but you didn't, and I need to get started on that because we have a lot more clients this year."

Caius looked increasingly alarmed by the sheer amount of things to do.

I spoke next. "Before the end of the year, you wanted me to do assessments with all the new associates, and follow-ups with the others. And you wanted me to write the first ATS annual report. You said that was really important."

"If I can add to the list, I need you to make a few client visits with me before Christmas too," said Edward.

We'd been so wrapped up in our conversation that we hadn't heard the chiefs walk into the large open space leading up to Caius's office door. Surprisingly, a very pale Esme was present too, clutching a bulky cardigan around her. They'd obviously heard most of our conversation. For once, they didn't look haughty; to a person, they actually seemed impressed that Alice and I had a handle on what needed to get done around here.

Caius looked around at each one of us before he spoke.

"I didn't realize there was_ quite _so much on our plates right now," he said. "Bella, Alice, if you two could prioritize your lists while I meet with the chiefs, I'll get back to you shortly."

"Sounds good," I said as the chiefs followed him into his office and closed the door.

"Thanks for that," Alice said. "He's clueless sometimes."

"What would he do without us?" I asked.

"Cry," she said as I chuckled. "How was your break?"

"Really good," I said. "How was yours?"

"Great," she replied. "I'm all done Christmas shopping."

"I could punch you for that," I said as she laughed. "I haven't even started."

"Some of the stores opened Thanksgiving night and that helped us pace ourselves better," she said as I rolled my eyes. "Did Gianna tell you I ran into them at the mall Friday?"

I chuckled. "No," I said. "I haven't had a chance to talk to her."

"I met her daughter Kim," she said. "She's gorgeous!"

"She is," I said, "she's like a mini-Gianna."

"I met Emmett's mom and sister too, and they met some of my family," she said. "I was with my mom, my sisters, and a few of my nieces. It was fun."

She chatted a little more about the McCartys and I noted that she didn't say that Emily had acted unusually at all. I was truly starting to wonder if it was just me Emily wasn't comfortable around. I also noticed that she didn't comment on Esme being pregnant, so maybe the news wasn't as obvious as Caius thought just yet.

"Oh, here they come," Alice whispered. "Pretend you're looking at your list."

I nodded. "The main thing I need is time with no new projects," I said loudly to Alice.

"That would help me too," she said.

The chiefs passed by us without comment and Caius took his former seat. Like he always did when there was much work to be done, he looked alive and energized.

"I'm glad you two are so on top of things," he said. "The chiefs were very impressed. Now let's schedule my life."

We talked and laughed with Caius as we prioritized our lists.

"Of everything," I said, "I really need to get the scripts done. I could finish those today if I'm not interrupted. Then, the rest of the week - - - again, if I'm not interrupted - - - I could finish a draft of the white paper."

"I think that sounds reasonable," Caius said.

"And if _I'm _not interrupted," Alice said as he laughed, "I can finalize your schedule for the month, and all the travel arrangements you need, then get to work on those gifts."

He nodded. "Well, I _have _to be able to talk to you two," he said honestly as Alice and I cracked up laughing. "But I promise I'll keep my visits brief and won't add anything new unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I guess I can live with that," Alice said.

"Works for me too," I agreed.

We firmed up a few more plans for the week and I returned to my office. I stopped to see Gianna but she couldn't talk because she was in one of the conference rooms setting up with one of the caterers. By the time I made it back to my office, Caius had sent an e-mail to everyone at ATS saying that Alice and I were not to be disturbed with other assignments for the next two weeks and if anyone had a problem with that, they should come see him.

All day, I worked on the scripts using information from the sales and I.T. materials I'd worked on the last few weeks. Mid-morning, Jasper tapped on the glass wall of my office to tease me briefly; I waved at him and he kept going. Gianna did the same thing a little while later, but I asked her to come in.

"When you told me about this job, I didn't realize you were so important around here," she said, laughing.

"That's because I'm not," I replied.

"Whatever," she said. "I'm not the only one who thinks so. When the CEO mentions you by name in an e-mail, you're big shit."

I shook my head as she kept laughing. "How was your Thanksgiving?" I asked.

"I'm sure you heard already," she said. "It was great. _Much_ better than last year's. That almond pound cake you made was out of this world."

"Thanks," I said. "I ate a bit too much of that myself."

"How was your trip?" she asked.

"Good, really good," I replied. "I had a great time with my dad and his girlfriend."

"I heard about the dinner," she sang as she grinned at me. "We can't wait to meet them."

"Are you sure you guys don't have plans?" I asked.

"Christmas morning is the big thing, you know, for the kids," she said. "It'll be fun to go somewhere else for dinner for once. Thank you for doing this. Maggie's already planning what to make and bring."

"I need to start planning that myself," I said.

"It'll be great," she said. "I better run. I need to get conference room three ready."

"I'll talk to you later," I said.

"No you won't," she said with a smirk. "Caius has you on lockdown."

I laughed and waved goodbye, unsurprised to see Ben walking toward my office. After all the developments with Angie, I'd been expecting a visit from him.

"Come on in," I said as he stood hesitantly at the door.

"I know we're not supposed to bother you," he said as he sat down.

"I can spare a few minutes for my future best friend-in-law," I said as he laughed.

"I wanted to thank you for pushing Angie to talk about the apartment and for being so understanding," he said. "It's already like a weight's been lifted off of her."

"I just want her happy," I said. "It'll all work out."

"It will," he said. "I love her. I want you to know that."

"I know," I said.

"I also wanted to give you a heads up that you'll be seeing a lot of me this week at the apartment," he said. "We want to try to pack up as much as we can during the week and have everything moved by Saturday."

"That's ambitious," I said as he laughed.

"We're motivated. I've _been_ ready for her to move in," he replied as I smiled. "I just talked to her and she's already got some people interested in some of the furniture, so hopefully we can get that out of the way too."

I talked to Ben a little longer before he left. His visit reminded me that I needed to call the rental office as well as the cable and power companies, which I did. After my little break, I got back to work. I stayed a little late to complete my drafts of the scripts, but I finished them and sent them to Heidi, Riley, and Laurent for their feedback. I went home feeling very accomplished. Angie and Ben, and tons of cardboard boxes, were there too.

"Thanks for calling the rental office," Angie said.

"No problem," I replied. "I called the power and cable too, so you just need to call and get your name taken off."

"I'll do that tomorrow," she said.

"Also, I asked the manager to change the locks," I added. "She said that they can do it when you're here tomorrow, and you get off way earlier than me, so could you call her when you get here?"

"I will," she said. "I didn't think to have the locks changed when Eric left."

"I doubt he'd come back," I said, "but with me being here by myself I think it's for the best. I still want you to have a key though."

"Thanks," she said. As I walked to my bedroom to change out of my work clothes, I thought I saw Angie and Ben look at each other nervously.

It didn't occur to me until I was already in my room that they probably wanted to talk to me about something else. I changed clothes, then I decided to call Emmett quickly. Today had been a big day for him, giving his first sales pitch to prospective clients for Summit-Meyer.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

"It went well," he said. "Really well. They asked tough questions but I was able to answer almost everything. At the very least, I _sounded_ like I knew what I was talking about."

"Fake it til you make it," I said as he laughed. "Or something like that."

"How was your day?" he asked. "I figured you were busy when you didn't call me back."

I gave him a very brief rundown of my day before I wrapped up the call.

"I gotta go," I said. "Angie and Ben are here, and I think they want to talk to me. I'll call you later."

Ben and Angie were whispering when I walked out, but they stopped when I entered the kitchen. As soon as I started heating my dinner, Angie spoke up.

"Um, do you mind if we talk to you?" she asked.

"You're doing it now," I quipped as she rolled her eyes at me and Ben laughed nervously.

"Bella, this is for you," he said quickly. He picked up an envelope that had been lying near the mail on the breakfast bar and pushed it toward me.

I sighed and shook my head at the both of them. I knew what it was without even opening it.

"It's a check for Angie's part of the rent and other bills for now through the end of the lease," Ben said.

"Thank you. I'll deposit it tomorrow," I replied without opening the envelope. I removed my dish from the microwave and stirred my food.

"Ben offered, and it would make me feel a lot better," Angie said as she watched me carefully.

"I'll know if you don't cash it," he said. "Money's not really a problem for me. I don't want Angie worried about this."

"We want you to have that," she said.

"What part of 'I'll deposit it tomorrow' wasn't clear?" I asked as they both fell out laughing.

"I thought you'd put up a fight," Angie said. "You can be as stubborn as your dad when you want to."

"I've decided I'm not arguing about this anymore," I said. "I have too much other shit to worry about. As far as I'm concerned, this is the end of it. I'm sure you'll pay Ben back in your own special way."

Again, they laughed. With the tension gone, they talked and packed while I ate my food.

"I've already sold some of the furniture and I have some people interested in the rest," Angie said. "I told you I knew people at work who'd need furniture at a good price."

"I talked to Renée," I said, "and like I told_ you_, she's so excited about shopping for me that she almost came through the phone."

After I finished dinner, I helped them pack up a few boxes of items from the kitchen cabinets. Angie asked if I wanted her to leave most of the pots, pans, and dishes, but I cooked so much that I preferred to buy my own stuff which I was very much looking forward to. Eventually, they shooed me away, and I returned to my room and called New Business. He was unfazed about Ben giving me the check.

"I'm not surprised," he said. "Ben's family is loaded. As you like to say, it's no big deal. I'm still gonna help you."

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me. I opened my mouth to say something about stupid male pride, but Gianna's voice suddenly ran through my head: "You'll see: it's better to pick your battles in this family."

I let it go, and instead, we talked about my job, his sightseeing in Montana, and the family Christmas dinner before moving on to a more important topic of conversation.

"Five more days," New Business said.

"Until what?" I asked coyly.

"Until we get properly reacquainted," he said. "And before you try to play dumb, I mean sex."

I cackled, though I was a little sad to have to rain on his parade.

"I hate to tell you this, but Mother Nature might have something to say about that."

"What do you mean?" he asked, sounding very alarmed.

"My period's due at the end of the week," I replied as he groaned on the other end of the phone.

"Why does shit like this always happen to me?" he asked, causing me to laugh so hard I had to wipe away tears.

"I thought about not telling you," I said. "But I thought that would be more cruel."

"So... when you're on your period ..." he said slowly and I knew where he was going.

"Sex is _not_ happening," I said firmly.

"Gotcha," he replied.

"There are other things we can do though," I said in my most seductive tone. "Don't be sad."

"Things like what?" he asked suggestively.

"Things like checkers, Monopoly ..."

I couldn't even finish my sentence because New Business was laughing so hard on the other end of the phone.

"You're gonna pay for teasing me like this," he said once he stopped laughing. "I'm keeping a payback tab on your ass."

"I'm not afraid of you or your payback," I said. "I can handle whatever you dish out."

"Okay," he said. "You talk a pretty big game. We'll see when the time comes."

"That we will," I replied with a big grin. "I'm exhausted. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

At work, the rest of the week after Thanksgiving went by in a total blur. Each evening when I returned home, more furniture had been removed; Angie and Ben came dutifully each night to pack and take boxes. I helped out as much as they'd allow and started making a running list of non-furniture items I'd need to purchase.

I talked and laughed with New Business every night and anxiously anticipated our reunion on Saturday. I did, however, curse when I got ready for work on Friday morning.

"Unfortunately, right on schedule," I said aloud when I did in fact get my period. Still, even it couldn't dampen my excitement for seeing Emmett again. He was due in late tomorrow afternoon and I couldn't wait.

At work, I read my e-mail and saw that someone had called for a mandatory company-wide meeting; Caius sent it, but I didn't think he'd planned it. When Jasper stopped by to give me my paystub, we talked about it.

"What do you think it's about?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "Did we hire anyone else this week?"

"No," he said. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

Half an hour later, Gianna raced into my office with an envelope in her hand and shut the door behind her.

"Paycheck, bitch," she said as I screamed with laughter. She looked ecstatic and actually did a little dance that caused me to lose my breath I laughed so hard.

"You don't even know how happy I am right now," she said, grinning as wide as she possibly could. "If it wasn't for this meeting, I'd go down to the bank right now."

After wiping my watery eyes, I was able to speak. "I wasn't sure if you'd get paid today or if you'd have to wait two weeks until the next one."

"My direct deposit will take another cycle or two to start," she said, "but they cut me a check."

"I'm happy for you," I said seriously. "I know it's been hard for you, and for Liam."

"We've fought about some of the dumbest shit this past year, all because of money," she said. "I was wasteful sometimes before. I know better now."

"Well, I'm just happy for you," I said.

"I didn't come down here just to show off my check," she said as she sat down at my desk. "I wanted to ask if you're going to Happy Hour tonight."

"Uh, no," I replied as she laughed. "I've only ever been to one, and that was enough for me."

"I'm going," she said. "Lizzie and I don't really want to, but we both think we should so nobody says we're not part of the team."

"Lizzie the admin from I.T.?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I've been riding back and forth to work with her this week."

"That's great!" I said.

"We were both here last Friday and we started talking," Gianna said. "She kept saying that I looked familiar to her. Turns out, her son used to go to Kim's school. He started high school this year though. She doesn't live far from us at all."

"That'll help so much," I said.

"It already has," she said. "I just have to chip in for gas, which I can totally manage."

Further discussion was halted by Alice who knocked, then came into the office with us.

"Any luck finding out what this meeting's about?" she asked. "Nobody seems to know. It's driving me nuts."

"Rose planned it yesterday," Gianna said. "That's all I know. I've already set up the room."

"Rose barely even talks at the big meetings," Alice said. "She's never led one before. What's this about?"

"I have no idea, but we'd better get down there," I said as I glanced at the clock.

Alice and I saved a seat for Gianna who dashed back to her office quickly to put her check away. She sat next to me just before Caius entered the room.

"Good morning," he said as we all greeted him in reply. "This is Rose's meeting, but she's allowed me to take a few minutes to bring you up to speed on a few important changes. As you all know, I've been examining our business process carefully over the last few months, with Bella's help." He smiled at me warmly. I smiled back.

"I've tried my best to create some structure around here, and I think with the new staff we've hired and the systems we've put in place, things are running much more efficiently."

There were murmurs of agreement around the room.

"We're a bigger team now and that's made us tight for space," Caius said. "I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors that we're expanding. Those rumors are true."

"I didn't know it was a secret," Gianna whispered as Alice and I chuckled.

"We were lucky to get space close by: half of the eleventh floor, just upstairs. Rose and the I.T. team will move up there, which will give the rest of us plenty of space on this floor."

People whispered and talked again.

"The move will happen mid-January, but we wanted to make you aware. The chiefs and I will be working on seating arrangements in the coming weeks. That's all I have, so I'll turn the floor over to Rose."

Rose walked to the front of the room and gave her uncle the warmest smile I'd ever seen her give anyone.

"Like Caius said, this has been a challenging year," she began. "But we've made it through and we're stronger than ever. To celebrate our success, the other chiefs and I have decided to have a holiday party. We've never had one before, so we're very excited."

Alice gasped and several people around the room squealed.

"The party will be held the Friday before Christmas, December 21," Rose said. "Every associate will be allowed to bring a guest. We're having it at the Tilia Ballroom at The Cameron."

A few people whistled. Alice and Gianna looked at each other and smirked. People began talking at full volume at this news. Rose, Caius, and the other chiefs looked more pleased with themselves than usual.

"What's The Cameron?" I whispered.

"A really fancy hotel and conference center," Gianna said.

"_Very_ exclusive too. We're_ so _going shopping for a dress," Alice whispered before she and Gianna started talking to each other.

Rose soon wrapped up the meeting. My coworkers were completely jazzed by the news of the holiday party, but I just couldn't bring myself to be as excited as the others. For one thing, I knew that Emmett wouldn't want to go. For another, I couldn't shake the bad feeling in my gut: Rose had planned this and I had a strong suspicion that there would be more to this event than just a mere celebration of the company's success.

* * *

On Saturday morning, I stood in the middle of my now empty living room. I watched Angie place a few straggling items into a large clear plastic bin.

"I can't wait to see Ben's place," I said. "Oh, I mean, your place."

Angie laughed. "Don't feel bad, I keep calling it his place too. It's really nice. The whole community is fairly new. He got one of the last townhomes. We're going to have a dinner soon for you and Emmett and a few other couples."

"I can't wait," I said.

The look of pure happiness on Angie's face confirmed for me that her moving in with Ben was the right decision. He arrived not long thereafter and the three of us moved the final bins and boxes into their cars.

When we finished, I hugged my friend who, of course, started crying.

"This isn't goodbye," I said as she sobbed into my shoulder. "We'll still see each other, and we'll talk all the time just like we used to. You're being a little dramatic right now."

Angie chuckled a little as she wiped her face and Ben outright laughed.

"Thanks, Bella," he said. "For everything."

They each gave me a final wave before they drove off. I actually was a little sadder than I let on: I'd enjoyed living with Angie. The almost five months we spent living together had been the most time we'd ever been around each other in all the years we'd been friends. But at least now, we lived in driving, instead of flying, distance of one another.

"Wow," I said when I re-entered myapartment. But for the barstools under the breakfast bar, the entire living and dining rooms now stood completely empty.

"There's definitely enough space for the family dinner," I muttered as I looked around. Already the energy felt completely different. I took a few pictures of the now empty space to send to my mom. Then, I took a few moments to decide what to do with myself.

I thought of the many, _many_ things I needed to do: I could vacuum, go to Walmart or Target, shop for groceries, buy a Christmas tree and decorations, or start a list of gift ideas for what I might buy for all the people in my life now.

In the end, overwhelmed and frustrated, I walked to my bedroom and climbed right back into bed. New Business would be back later and I didn't want to be grumpy and disgusted when he arrived. I took a few Advil to help with the muscle aches that always went along with my period, set my alarm, and fell back asleep with relative ease.

* * *

"Not bad," I said as I assessed myself in the mirror in my bedroom. Emmett would be here in minutes and I'd done everything I could think of to make myself look great. My hair was brushed and slung over one shoulder: I'd even curled the ends. I wore a sexy lacey bra under a very tight low-cut tee shirt. I smelled great too as I'd used the body wash that he liked this time, not the gentle cleanser he always called my "baby shit."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I heard the knock I'd been waiting for. I ran to the door, unlocked it, and flung it open: there stood New Business wearing a knit beanie hat, a black leather jacket, sweats and sneakers. I felt what could only be described as an electric current flowing through me as I stared at him.

"Fuck I missed you," he said as he stepped inside, grabbed me, and spun me around. I clung to him and shamelessly breathed him in: the leather, the cologne, the_ skin._ I loved everything about this man.

"Um, door," I said as he reluctantly let me go.

"Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin as he shut and locked the door. Only then did I notice the plastic grocery bag in his hand.

"Is this a new lock?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I asked the manager to change it."

"Good idea," he said.

"What's in the bag?" I asked. "I made dinner."

"I'm not hungry for food," he said, practically growling at me as I tingled all over.

He handed me the bag. "I stopped at the store. It's for you."

The bag only held two things, but they were incredibly sweet and thoughtful: a pint of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream and a box of Midol.

"This gets you 75 instant boyfriend points," I said with a big grin as I put the ice cream in the freezer.

He grinned, looking quite pleased with himself. "Emily always likes ice cream when it's her time, so I thought you might like it too. You didn't say you needed anything, but I wasn't sure."

"I do need something," I said as I yanked his arm and tugged him down the hall. "You. In my bed. Right now."

I dove onto the bed and tried to drape myself across it as sexily as possible. Though he watched my every move and grinned at me, he took his sweet old time taking off his shoes and removing all the stuff from his pockets.

"Can you hurry it up please?" I asked. "I'm dying here."

"So eager," he said when he finally climbed in beside me.

His tight ass had barely touched the side of the bed before I pounced, knocking him back against the pillows. Our groans and moans were almost in harmony as we struggled to get closer to each other. Our kisses were so desperate and aggressive that I thought I might end up with bruises on my lips and my tongue.

"Your hair's longer," I said between gasping breaths as I yanked his dark locks when he began kissing his way down my neck to my chest.

"Mmmm," was his only reply as he deftly pushed up my shirt, unhooked my bra, and sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. I moaned and writhed beneath him as he lavished attention upon my breasts while I struggled to remove his shirt, wanting access to every inch of his hot skin.

He stopped, sat up quickly, and yanked his shirt off. I sat up too and removed my shirt and bra completely, all the while nearly drooling over his bulging muscles. The sight of my bare breasts, like always, turned his eyes several shades darker and he stood completely up off the bed to remove his pants. He was about to get back in but I stopped him. I stared at his boxer briefs and the very prominent erection that strained against them.

"Take those off too," I said, feeling as wild as he looked.

"You said we can't ..." he said.

"Off," I demanded and he quickly obliged.

I crawled to the edge of the bed, unable to remove my eyes from his rock-hard cock. On my hands and knees, I tilted my head and swiftly took as much of him as I could into my mouth.

The first taste of him was like a drug to me; I needed more. I licked and sucked and nipped at him, savoring the hard smoothness and salty twang of his skin.

"Fuck," he hissed as he gathered my hair in both of his hands.

I lost all sense of time as I worked him. Almost two weeks without him had simply been too long; I needed him too badly. His hips picked up the rhythm of my mouth and his hands grew tighter in my hair.

"So good," he moaned, his head thrown back in ecstasy as I looked up at him.

When he leaned down and ran his hands along my back, massaging his way down to my shorts-covered ass cheeks, I quivered and felt myself grow very close to release.

I lifted my right hand and lightly dragged my nails along the inside of his thigh to get him closer.

"Shit," he yelled, jerking so hard that I released him from my mouth. He came... all over my shoulder and chest. The mental image of what I must look like, kneeling on the bed, covered in... him... was all it took to send me over the edge too.

He collapsed onto the bed, his chest heaving as he watched me where I'd fallen on my side while I collected myself.

When I felt that I could stand, I did, and grabbed some tissues to wipe myself off.

"This is quite a mess you made," I said, smirking at him as he chuckled.

"My apologies," he said.

I climbed back on the bed and snuggled up beside him.

"I'm sorry I can't... uh... help you out," he said as he kissed the tip of my nose.

I snorted and clenched my thighs together. "Don't worry; you did," I replied as he grinned widely.

"Good," he said as he played with my hair. "Have you ever tried before, you know, on your..."

"Once," I said. "I thought it was absolutely nasty."

"Okay," he said, chuckling. "I thought I'd ask."

"I'm glad you're back," I said softly as I gazed into those intense eyes. "I missed you. I love you."

"I love you too," he replied.

He was serious for about three seconds before he started smirking at me again.

"I wasn't actually done with your tits when you attacked me," he said.

I leaned back against the pillows and raised my arms over my head.

"They're right here," I said.

I had no idea how much longer we stayed in bed, _exploring_, laughing, talking, and reconnecting, but eventually I had to clean up.

"I can't stand it," I said as he laughed. "I'll be right back."

After the quickest shower I could manage, I returned to find New Business watching TV with a smile on his face.

"Did you want dinner?" I asked. "I have something ready. I just need to heat it."

"I could eat," he replied as he headed into the bathroom.

I couldn't seem to stop smiling as I moved about the kitchen. I didn't realize just how much I'd missed Emmett until I had him back.

"How did I miss how fucking empty it is in here now?" he asked when he walked into the wide open living and dining spaces.

"You were a little preoccupied," I said as he laughed.

"I really didn't think she was moving this soon," he said.

"I think Ben's wanted it for a while," I said. "Well, technically they haven't been dating for a while but you know what I mean."

"I do," he said as he grinned at me. "You meet the right person, and it can feel like you've known them your whole life before you know it."

I grinned, feeling incredibly sappy.

"Did one person buy all the stuff?" he asked as he sat at the breakfast bar.

"No," I replied. "One of her teacher friends bought her whole bedroom set. Another one bought the dining room set and the entertainment center. And one of the maintenance guys here bought the sectional and the TV."

"I hope your mom works fast," he said, chuckling.

"She's on top of it," I said. Renée could work miracles when she wanted to.

"Did you come straight here?" I asked.

"No I went home first," he replied.

"Everybody okay there?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "They didn't even care that I was back. They just wanted to make sure you're still coming to dinner tomorrow."

"Something else I forgot all about," I said.

"What else?" he asked.

I sighed and took our dinner out of the oven as I gave him a recap of everything on my work and home to-do lists.

"It's a shame you can't get shit done without me around," he said as I burst out laughing. "Have no fear. I'm back."

* * *

Emmett and I managed to drag ourselves away from each other to shower at about noon on Sunday.

"How long do I have you back for?" I asked him as we dressed for the day.

"I only have two trips planned for all of December," he said. "I have another sales visit on the 11th, in Boise, this time."

"Idaho?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "But I'll only be gone one night. Then, December 17th and 18th, we're going to a tech conference."

"Is that the one in Las Vegas?" I asked. "ATS is going to that one."

"That's it. Are you going?" he asked excitedly.

"Down boy," I replied as he laughed. "No. I have too much other work to finish."

"Too bad," he said, wriggling his eyebrows at me.

"I think I can live with that schedule," I said with a huge grin.

"Me too," he said as he leaned down to kiss me. "I'll still be really busy though. My boss has me scheduled for more training, and he wants me to go with him to some local business meetings too. Oh, I almost forgot. They're having a holiday party, the 22nd. Would you go with me?"

"Sure," I said, unable to contain my smirk.

"What's that look for?" he asked.

"I forgot to tell_ you _that ATS is having a holiday party. It's actually the night before yours."

He smirked at me this time. "No way in hell am I going to that."

"I figured as much," I said with a chuckle. "I thought I'd mention it though."

"I'd love to see some of the guys," he said. "Seth, Sam, Jake, a few others too. But seeing that jackass Edward and some of those other assholes on the sales team ..."

He shook his head and I rubbed his arm.

"Yes, I'd prefer that you not beat any asses and wind up in jail," I said as he laughed.

"It's fine," I said. "I think Renée will be here then and she loves shit like that. I'll ask her."

He agreed to go with me to buy a small, pre-decorated artificial Christmas tree for my living room and a wreath for my door before we went to his place for dinner. As we prepared to leave, I stopped him before he put his coat on.

"Um, last night, you noticed that I got a new lock put on the door," I said nervously as his eyes widened. I opened my purse, pulled out the extra key I had made, and handed it to him.

"Angie has one too," I said. "You're the two people closest to me here and I want you to have this."

His eyes shined as he stared at me; he appeared to be stunned.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I'll understand if you ..."

"I know it's soon," I said. "But I also know that I won't feel any differently about wanting you to have a key a month or a year from now. I know you have a lot of responsibilities at your house, and I certainly don't expect you to leave there. I'm not asking you too. But I want you to think of this as your home too."

"Thank you," he said as he pulled me too him and hugged me tightly. He held me for so long that I had to remind him that we were on a schedule.

"We need to go and get back," I said with a chuckle. "There's this dinner I'm expected at later on."

He laughed loudly, then carefully put the key on his key ring, smiling all the while. We put our coats on, but when he reached for his beanie hat, I had to speak up.

"I'm sorry but you can't wear that hat," I said. "It's not even that cold."

"My hair's all fucked up," he said, pleading with me. "I'm getting it cut tomorrow."

"Not my problem," I said as I snatched the hat away. "You look entirely too sexy with that hat on. I can't allow it outside of the house."

We laughed all the way down to the car. I was only joking with him... kind of.

New Business was actually very helpful as he helped me select my tree and wreath. He even waited patiently as I bought several sets of cookware and dishes. When I found the exact bakeware set I'd had and loved back home in Phoenix, I did a little dance in the aisle.

"You're embarrassing me right now," he said as he shook his head at me and laughed.

"Too bad. You're stuck with me," I said as we grinned at each other.

After a day filled with much more laughter than was probably necessary, we made it to his house for a lively, raucous dinner with the McCartys. Champ the dog jumped up on me again but at least this time I was prepared.

In addition to the usual family members, I finally met Maggie's boyfriend, Harry, a big, hefty man with thick wavy gray hair and matching moustache. He showed up straight from work in his police uniform.

I made the mistake of asking the kids - - - Kim, Henry, and Austin - - - what kinds of things they wanted Santa to bring them for Christmas; they talked my ear off. I barely had to speak the entire evening.

Emily asked me how my trip was, but remained silent after that. Liam and Harry told stories and cracked jokes that had Gianna and me in stitches. Surprisingly, Emmett and Maggie were quietest of all; I gleaned from their glares and stares that they seemed to be in the midst of some sort of dispute. I had no idea what that was about.

"Good to see you again, sweetie," said Maggie as I prepared to leave when dinner ended. "Even if my son is dragging his feet, you're already part of the family."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Let's go," he said hastily before I had time to process his mom's cryptic comment.

* * *

The first week of December, with three weeks to go before Christmas, I didn't think I saw anyone at work besides the marketing team of Peter and Jared, and the executive team of Caius, Edward, Rose, and Carlisle. Finalizing copy for the marketing materials and website before the upcoming conferences was now top priority.

The chiefs were effectively stunned by the amazing drafts and copy Peter, Jared, and I, using many of the ideas from our previous meetings, had already come up with. Still, they wanted more, including an official company tagline. We created numerous taglines and other copy, as well as several more slick-looking brochures, cards, and other marketing materials for them to choose from. Overall, Caius and the chiefs liked what we came up with for the most part, but they couldn't reach an agreement on anything. As Carlisle astutely pointed out during one contentious meeting: "_These are the words and documents that will represent ATS going forward. We want to present ourselves in the best possible way_."

"I don't know why you're not coming to the conferences with us," Peter said to me after that meeting.

"You have great ideas," said Jared. "The three of us work so well together. You should be there with us."

"Sorry, fellas," I said as they chuckled. "Caius would probably arrange for me to go if I asked. But I have too many other things to do between now and Christmas. I'll just be a phone call away if you need me."

When I left Wednesday evening, Caius had the chiefs sequestered in his office, forcing them to make some decisions on our drafts.

Thursday, Caius approved final versions of the tagline, copy, and marketing materials and my part was done. They'd all be leaving for the DC conference on Monday, and it was all on Jared and Peter now to update the website and print and prepare enough materials to take with them. Peter had already taken it upon himself to order an assortment of freebies with the ATS logo on them to give away at the booth; the chiefs had loved those, so at least that was out of the way.

For the remainder of the day, I focused on the Caius "interview" that I needed to conduct for that magazine article. There was no time to conduct an actual interview at this point, but I'd spent so much time talking to Caius that I was able to ghost-write answers to the questions and fashion an article from it. Caius approved it without a single edit and I sent it off. When I went home, all I wanted to do was dive into a hot bath. However, Renée had other plans for me.

"I've been working hard to find the perfect furniture for you," she said. "I found the most amazing store, right there in Seattle. I picked out all the stuff online, but I need you to go over there and see if you like what I've selected so far. Jeff's there til nine tonight. He's expecting you."

"Who's Jeff?" I asked.

"The salesman I've been talking to over the phone," she said.

"Do I have to go tonight?" I asked, trying not to sound ungrateful.

"You do if you want us to have furniture to sit on at Christmas dinner. Time is not on your side right now."

I sighed. "You're right," I said. "I appreciate you doing this. Thanks, mom."

She gave me the name and address of the store. Of course, I had no idea where it was. It dawned on me, though, that I had my own personal guide to Seattle. And because he'd been even busier than I had at work this week, I hadn't seen him since Sunday night. This would kill two birds with one stone. Besides, now that I thought about it, I would like Emmett's opinion on the furniture.

"Hey," New Business said when I called. "I was gonna call you when I thought you were home. I can't come tonight."

"Okay," I said, a little dejectedly. "That's not why I was calling though."

I told him about Renée and gave him the name of the store and the address.

"I know exactly where that is," he said.

"If I come to your place right now, do you think you could go with me?" I asked. "I need to go tonight. She's got the salesguy waiting for me."

"I'm watching Austin," he said. "If you don't mind him coming ..."

"He can come," I said eagerly. "I'm on my way."

* * *

"Sorry to ask you to do this. I know you've had a busy week," I said as we rode to the furniture store. "But I didn't want to drive around in the dark by myself trying to find this place."

"The streets are safer this way," Emmett said as I laughed.

"Ha ha," I replied. "Seriously, thank you."

"It's no problem," he replied. "I actually wanted to come see you tonight, but I forgot I had to babysit."

I peeked into the backseat where little Austin sat in his car seat, smiling and exclaiming every now and then as he happily watched the many Christmas lights we passed on the way.

"How come you're babysitting?" I asked. "Where's everybody else?"

"Ma's out with Harry," he said. "Gianna and Liam are at Kim's school for some program. Henry's over at his friend's working on a science project, and Emily's busy on Thursday nights. That's her, um, therapy groups."

I barely heard the last part because he mumbled it, but I didn't miss it. I didn't pry, however, but it did make me happy to hear that Emily was in fact seeing a professional.

"Well, thanks for coming," I said. "I'm whipped but I do need furniture."

"I didn't wanna nag you about it," he said with a chuckle. "I'm glad your mom's more on the ball than you."

"Just shut up and drive," I said as he laughed.

Soon, Emmett parked the car on a street lined with trendy storefronts. I looked around and never did see the name of the store until he pointed it out to me.

"I _never_ would've found this place on my own in the dark," I said as he took Austin out of his car seat.

"I want Bewwa," said the little guy. He reached for me and I pulled his little body into my arms.

I called my mom who sounded a little too damn excited. When I put her on speaker, Emmett cracked up laughing.

"Emmett and Austin were nice enough to come with me," I said. "Say 'hi'."

"Hi guys!" she yelled as Austin looked at the phone curiously.

"Hi, Renée," Emmett said. "Nice to sort of meet you."

"Oooh, what a deep, sexy voice," my mom said as New Business guffawed. All I could do was shake my head.

"Okay, go in and ask for Jeff," she said.

"Damn, this place looks expensive," Emmett whispered as he held the door open for me; I nodded, thinking the same thing.

I didn't need to ask for anyone because as soon as we stepped inside, an eager-looking man with stylish glasses and platinum-blond hair appeared out of nowhere.

"You must be Bella," he said. "I'm Jeff." New Business and I both greeted him.

"Hi, Jeff," called Renée.

"Oh, it's my girlfriend from Phoenix!" he replied as we all cracked up laughing. "Don't you worry; we have great phone reception in the store. It'll be like you're right here with us."

"Getting her in the door was half the battle," my mom yelled as several people standing near us laughed too. Emmett was absolutely shaking he was laughing so hard at my mom. I pointedly turned the volume down on my phone.

For close to an hour, Jeff - - - and Renée - - - guided us through the store which was much larger inside than it looked on the outside. But for a few adorable questions and comments, Austin was fairly quiet the entire time as he clung to me, taking in the store and all the people around us.

My mom and Jeff both had clearly spent a lot of time selecting not just major items like the sectional sofa and the dining room table, but also "little" things like bookcases and lamps.

"You two have spent a lot of time on this," I said, "thank you so much. There's no way I could have picked all this stuff on my own. I love it all, every piece."

"That's a 'yes', Jeff," said Renée. "Ring it all up, quick, before she changes her mind."

"Your wish is my command," he replied as we followed him to his desk.

"I'm hanging up now," my mom said. "I'll call Jeff on his work phone."

I told her I'd call her later and ended the call. Jeff's phone rang and he immediately started talking to my mom.

Austin finally started to get a little fussy as we sat. Emmett opened the small thermal lunch bag he'd brought inside with him and pulled out a kids' cup with a lid and a pack of plain-looking cookies. Austin immediately grabbed for the cup as Emmett took the lid off for him. Austin then settled his head against my chest as he drank and started rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"I can't believe this kid right now," Emmett said as he smiled down at his nephew who seemed very content in my lap. "It's usually a nightmare trying to get him to go to sleep."

"Must be me," I said. While Emmett chuckled, I decided to bring up something I'd noticed.

"You were looking at that one bedroom set a long time, the pine one. Did you like it?" I asked.

He stared at me oddly for a few seconds before he answered. "Yeah," he replied longingly. "That was _really_ nice."

"What was that look for?" I asked. "What's going on in that giant head?"

He smirked, then shook his head a little. "Nothing."

I sighed. "What?" I asked. "I really want to know."

He took a look at Jeff, who was still talking on the phone and typing, before he turned back to me and replied.

"I'd been waiting for you to ask me to help move all your bedroom stuff into the master bedroom," he said. "But when you didn't, I wasn't really sure what you wanted to do. I just thought if you did get a new bedroom set, that pine one would be nice."

"Excuse me," said Jeff, who was finally off the phone with my mom. "I need to check something in the back."

"Take your time," I said, happy for more time to talk.

"I didn't think to ask you about the bedrooms," I said. "I'm sorry."

"It's your apartment," he said quickly.

"And you'll be spending plenty of time there," I said. "We're together now, for the long haul, right?"

"Right," he said with a grin.

"Then I should have asked for your opinion, even if I didn't take it," I said as he finally laughed.

"I'm not pushing you," he said. "But if you wanted a new bedroom set, you might as well get it now. Then, it can all get delivered together."

I sighed. "That's a really good point," I said. "I told Renée not to look at bedroom furniture because I was going to use what I had and make the other room an office."

"If that's what you want, that's what you should do then," Emmett said.

"I don't really know if that's what I want," I said. "I just haven't had time to give it much thought. It _would_ be nice to leave my set where it is and keep that room set up as a guest room for when my parents visit."

"I think that's a good idea," he said. "And _we_ could move into the master and get a bigger bed."

I smiled at the emphasized 'we'.

"Why didn't you bring all this up before now, dumb a ..." I stopped myself from cursing when little Austin started rubbing and patting my arm; it was the cutest thing ever. Unlike his uncle Liam, I didn't want to curse around him if I could help it.

"It's your place and I didn't want you to think I was taking over," New Business said.

I'd never given thought to the fact that New Business, as tall as he was, could definitely use a bigger bed. I supposed these were the sorts of things couples talked about; this was all so new for me.

Jeff returned then before I could say anything else. "Your mom wanted me to check on some other pillows for the sectional," he said. "We have them, so she'll be happy."

"Uh, Jeff, we're interested in one of the bedroom sets we saw," I said. "Do you have a little more time?"

"Bella, I think I love you," he said as New Business and I fell out laughing. "Lead the way."

Being the excellent salesman that he was, Jeff pointed out the perfect lamps and bedding, as well as a few other accessories, to go along with the set. As we tried out mattresses, I quietly put my foot down with Emmett who whispered that he would pay for it all. I wouldn't allow that. We decided that he would pay for the actual bedroom set - - - the headboard, dresser, and nightstands - - - which was the bulk of the cost anyway. I would pay for the mattresses, lamps, bedding, and accessories.

We returned to Jeff's desk. I carefully sat down with Austin who'd fallen asleep completely.

"Anything else I can help you two with?" asked an absolutely giddy Jeff.

"I think you've taken enough of our money for one night," Emmett replied as we laughed.

If he worked on commission, then he'd made a bundle off of us tonight. That bedroom set alone was pricier than anything I would have ever purchased on my own. But I felt like we had to get it because it symbolized something so significant to me: since we'd dated, I couldn't think of a_ single _material thing New Business had ever admitted to wanting.

And now that I thought about it, when had he ever been able to buy something like furniture on his own? All that stuff in his basement was nice, but based on the style of it all, except for the TV and maybe the mattresses, I was pretty sure that it had all belonged to his parents. He never spoke of material things he wanted. This was a big deal.

"Now Renée said you need this furniture as soon as possible," Jeff said. "I told her we're booked solid on weekend and evening deliveries for the next month. But we have plenty of times open in the next few weeks during the day. She said you'd be able to take off and be at home one day during the week, so which ..."

I rolled my eyes. "She would say that," I replied, shaking my head. "I can't take off right now. We're swamped."

"Not a problem," Emmett said calmly. "Ma can do it."

He'd already dialed her before I could protest. From what I could hear through the phone, Maggie sounded almost as excited as my mom. They arranged a time with Jeff for delivery next Friday morning.

"It was a pleasure meeting you," Jeff said as we stood to leave with our many, many receipts in hand. "You make sure you bring Renée to see me when she visits."

"I will," I replied. "And thank you. You've made my life a million times easier."

While Austin slept and Emmett drove, I called my mom and thanked her again too.

"Consider that furniture your Christmas present from me and Phil," she said.

With a smile, I ended the call and put my phone away. I couldn't wait to see my mom and Phil; I missed them badly.

"Um, we were a little later than I thought we'd be," Emmett said. "It's almost time for me to pick up Emily. Do you mind?"

"Of course not," I replied.

First though, he stopped for fast food which I happily partook in. He drove back toward their neighborhood and pulled into the parking lot of an older-looking office building in front of which a number of cars were parked.

"She won't be long," he said as we waited. "They're almost done."

"No problem," I said as I continued to shovel French fries into my mouth.

"I love that you can go from a high-end furniture store one minute to eating fries and milkshakes the next," he said between bites as he devoured his burger. "Pretty bad-ass in my book."

"You know, you're really quite the romantic," I said as he guffawed. "All jokes aside, I'm going to need to start going to the gym with you after New Year's. I've been so busy that I'm eating way too much junk lately."

"Why go to the gym when you can ride my equipment for free?" he asked.

I almost spat out my milkshake I laughed so hard. When I settled down, I noticed that Emmett had turned his head sharply to watch a group of people who'd just walked out of the building. I saw Emily talking with a woman and a man. As she neared Emmett's SUV, the man stopped and hesitantly waved at her. New Business watched him like a hawk.

"Should I get in back?" I asked, not wanting to disrupt Emily's routine.

"No," he replied. "She always sits in back with Austin."

Emily arrived and opened the back door, right behind me. To my great surprise, she began talking immediately.

"You and that junk food," she said. "You better not let mom catch you eating it."

"She won't know unless you tell her," he said. "So take your bribe and shut up about it."

He passed her a bag with the burger and apple pie he'd ordered separately and she laughed. She was sitting right behind me but she didn't seem to have noticed I was there. I was terrified of startling her so I didn't say anything.

"I can't believe he's asleep already," she said as she smoothed Austin's hair and tenderly brushed her fingers along his cheek.

"I don't think he could handle all the excitement of a night with Bella," he said as he started backing out of the parking spot.

I slowly leaned around my seat and very quietly spoke.

"Hi, Emily," I said. "I kind of dragged the guys out tonight."

"Hi, Bella," she said as her eyes grew large. "I didn't see you."

That was all she said the rest of the way home. Yes, it was clear that it was _me_ she didn't talk around. Maybe she was just one of those people who took a long, long, _long_ time to get to know people.

We made one more stop, to pick up Henry, who as usual was happy to see me.

"Are you staying at our house tonight?" he asked eagerly.

"Not tonight," I said as Emmett smirked. "I needed your uncle's help with something and he was kind enough to drive me."

"He's good," Henry replied. "He always helps when you need stuff."

I chuckled and New Business grinned as Henry talked about his project the rest of the short ride back to their house.

I said my goodbyes to Emily and Henry as they opened the gate and walked to their front door; New Business waited while I started my car.

"I can't thank you enough for going with me," I said.

"Thank you for including me," he replied as he leaned in and gave me a lingering kiss. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too," I replied as I drove away.

The combined experiences of the evening - - - carrying around little Austin, buying furniture with New Business, stuffing my face in front of him, and seeing him interact with his sister - - - gave me new perspective on what life with Emmett would entail. It was easy to _say_ we were in a relationship, but tonight for the first time, after sharing so much in a few short hours, I felt like we were actually in one.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**I think it goes without saying that the next chapter will be action-packed LOL!**

**As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10: Double Chapter

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**Okay. Instead of apologizing for posting one ridiculously long chapter, I'm going to call this a 'double' chapter. Two chapters for the price of one. What a value! What a deal! ;0p**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 10**

**BPOV**

I dragged myself around my bedroom Saturday morning, not looking forward to my day at all. With the ridiculously hectic first work week of December over, I couldn't even enjoy a day of rest. After much pressuring and cajoling, I'd agreed to go dress shopping for the holiday party with Alice, Angie, and Gianna.

With a sigh, I continued working on my hair and listened as New Business talked to his brother on the phone.

"No fucking way," he said. "That's awesome... Okay... I'll see ya soon. I'm leaving here in about ten minutes."

Emmett and Liam's day would also include shopping: they planned to take Austin and Henry to buy Christmas gifts for the McCarty women.

"Guess what?" he said as he ended the call and finished getting dressed. "Champ and Harry are gonna be on TV."

"Doing what?" I replied.

"They're gonna be featured on some special on Animal Planet about retired police dogs. They're filming some of it today. Liam said Ma just took Champ to the groomers."

"I didn't know Champ was a police dog," I replied.

"He was," he said.

"Maybe all those times he jumped on me, he was frisking me or searching me or something," I replied with a chuckle.

Emmett laughed as he turned to watch me. "I don't think I've ever seen your hair up like that before," he said as I pinned the last piece of the bun on top of my head into place.

"Alice insisted," I replied. "She said we needed to see how the dresses would look with my hair off my neck. It's a pain with all these fucking hair pins but I used to do my hair like this all the time for ballet."

"You took ballet?" he asked.

I chuckled at his stunned expression. "I did," I replied. "Up until I was thirteen and refused to do it anymore. My mom and gran made me. I hated it."

"Just when I think I know everything about you," he said with a smirk.

"I'm quite sure I don't know everything about you either," I said.

"All in due time, my pretty, all in due time," he replied, imitating the voice of the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz.

I cracked up laughing as he continued.

"No offense," he said, "but is that what you're wearing? I don't think Alice will like that."

"Too bad," I replied. "If I have to try on dresses all day, the least they can do is let me be comfortable." I'd chosen my navy yoga pants and matching zip-up jacket for that exact reason.

"Good point," he replied. "I'm leaving. I'll..."

"Do you mind if I go over to your place to hang out until it's time to go to Angie's?" I asked. "She's at the hairdresser right now, and if I sit around here, I'll talk myself out of going with them all today."

"Sure," he replied. "Everybody loves when you come over. Ready?"

"I am. I'll see you there."

* * *

I arrived at Emmett's a few minutes after he did. Emily looked very surprised to see me as she cleared away breakfast dishes. I greeted her, then returned the enthusiastic hugs of Austin and Henry. Liam grinned at me as he talked on his cell phone.

"Bella's here right now," he said to the person on the phone. He chuckled, then handed it to me.

"Gianna," he said.

"Good morning," I said to her.

"How are you up and ready so early?" she asked, sounding like she'd just woken up. "I'm exhausted."

"You just survived your first two full weeks at ATS," I replied as Emmett, Liam, and Emily laughed. "It tends to have that effect on people."

"You're right about that," she said with a laugh. "Shit! I didn't know it was almost nine. We're supposed to be at Angie's at ten."

I could hear her scrambling on her end of the phone. "Don't worry. Ten's not happening," I said. "Angie had a hair appointment and she's still there."

"I don't feel so bad then," Gianna replied. "Kim's not even up yet."

"Why don't I come over there when the guys leave here?" I asked.

"Sounds good," she replied.

"She hung up," I said as I handed Liam the phone.

"Good," he replied as they laughed again. "We're ready to go."

"We want to go early before the crowds get too bad," Emmett said.

"We're going to the movies too," Henry said, his eyes shining in excitement. "We're gonna see _Wreck-It Ralph_."

"Own-ee da boys," Austin said to me, puffing his little chest out a bit. I grinned at him as the other laughed.

"Only the boys can go? What kind of funny business is that?" I asked in mock outrage as they continued laughing.

"You have a girls trip today," Henry said. "Kim told me she's going. So this is fair."

"Okay, you win," I said with a grin.

Emily wiped Austin's face and hands with a cloth, and then took him into the living room to put his sweater and jacket on as Henry ran upstairs for his shoes. It occurred to me that with Maggie gone for the day, Emily might be here alone.

"Is she going out today?" I whispered to Emmett and Liam.

Liam frowned. "No," he replied. "Gianna asked her to go with you guys but she said 'no'. She'll be sitting in here all day, like always."

"No she won't," I replied. "She's going with us."

New Business frowned this time, at _me_. "Don't push her," he said firmly. "You intimidate her. I don't want her upset."

Liam rolled his eyes at his brother. "She needs to get out of this fucking house for something other than work once in a while. With Ma gone, this is the perfect chance."

New Business ignored that comment as he was still looking at me warily. "I mean it," he said. "I don't want her upset."

"I won't upset her," I replied calmly. "But she's going."

Liam laughed as Emmett narrowed his eyes at me.

"I'll get the boys in the car," Liam said. He walked toward the boys and Emily, leaving us alone to talk.

"I understand that you worry about her," I said. "And I certainly don't know her as well as you do. But I haven't done anything to her, and she needs to get used to me."

He glared at me for a few moments longer. It occurred to me that this was kind of our first argument or disagreement of any kind. Maybe I was out of line, but I would stand my ground.

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "You keep saying I'm part of the family now," I said quietly. "Obviously, your sister has some issue with me and we need to work it out because I'm not going anywhere."

Finally, his eyes softened a bit, then he sighed. "I know you wouldn't upset her on purpose," he said. "It's just... she's been through a lot. But you're right: this would be a good chance for her to get out with some other women her own age."

"It'll be fine, you'll see," I said, trying to convince myself more than him.

He nodded, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

"Here," he said as he handed me a wad of cash, "if you get her to go and she sees something she likes, could you get it? For me? She never asks for anything for herself, but she might loosen up if you can get her to do this."

"Consider it done," I said as I tucked the money into my jacket pocket. "You better go. Those kids might come back in and drag you out."

He leaned down and kissed me and when we turned, Emily stood just inside of the front door watching us. New Business whispered something to her when he passed, then he left, shutting the door behind him.

Emily stood still as a statue and continued to stare at me across the room. With a sigh, I walked toward her and sat on the couch.

"There's no way I'm leaving you here by yourself all day," I said. "It seems like I make you uncomfortable, but we're going to have to work it out because I love your brother and I'm not going anywhere. If I'm doing something that's upsetting you, please tell me what it is."

She stared at me a few moments longer before she walked over and sat at the opposite end of the couch. She placed her hands in her lap and stared down at them. After several long moments, she let out a long sigh.

"You're not doing anything to make me uncomfortable," she said. "It's just, when you're around, I feel like a complete and total loser."

I quickly scooted over and gently pulled one of her hands into mine.

"Emily..." I said but she interrupted me.

"You're so together," she said. "Your whole life's been good. I can tell from the way you carry yourself. Em and Gianna talk about how great you are at work, and about all your friends too. I never know what to say to you. My whole life is one giant fucked-up mess."

"I don't deny that I have a good life, but that doesn't make me perfect," I said. "I think you've kind of put me up on a pedestal in your head, and trust me, you shouldn't."

"I'm sorry," she said, still looking down at her lap. "I shouldn't have said all that."

"You absolutely should have," I replied. "I'm glad you did."

"Our family's always been so fucked up," she said. "I never thought Em would actually bring somebody into it. Gianna knows how we grew up, she's always been around, so it wasn't weird with her. But when Em brought you here, I kept wondering how you must see us. How you must see _me._ Thirty years old, barely working, living off my family, two kids by an asshole douchebag who ran out ..."

"You spend a lot of time with Liam, don't you?" I asked.

Finally, she looked up at me and smirked.

"I do," she said. "Pardon my French."

Hearing her curse completely shattered my 'timid little Emily' mental image. She still spoke in the quiet tone of voice that was her signature, but her vocabulary very much resembled Liam's.

"I know it had to be hard for you to say all this, but thank you," I said. "I love Emmett, and I want to get to know his family. I'm not here to judge anybody."

"I'm glad he met somebody like you," she said. "He's always taken care of us, however he could. But we want him to be happy too. We didn't think he'd ever bring anybody around us. You've been great."

"Yes, he's great, I'm great," I replied with a grin. "Are you going shopping with us today or what?"

Emily laughed, a lilting, musical sort of sound. "Yes, I'd love to go," she said.

"Good," I said. "All settled."

"It won't take me long to get ready," she said. "Thanks, Bella."

She dashed up the stairs, faster than I ever thought she could move, and I collapsed back against the couch to collect my thoughts. What a day this was already turning out to be.

* * *

"Is your hair darker?" I asked Angie, unable to put my finger on what exactly looked different about her.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I had to start coloring it. I'm already getting freaking gray hair."

I laughed quite loudly at her, then screamed when she pinched me in retaliation. I was just a few weeks older than Angie but she always teased that I'd be the one to go gray and get wrinkles first.

"You two really do act like sisters," Gianna said, shaking her head and smiling at us.

"I love this house," Emily said as she looked around the living room. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks. Or really, thank Ben and his mom," Angie replied as we cracked up laughing.

We'd arrived at Ben and Angie's house just before eleven, an hour after the time that Alice set and now we all sat waiting on _her._ Gianna and Kim had been stunned when I showed up to their house with Emily in tow. I drove the four of us here, and the loud round of greetings and introductions had only just settled down.

When Angie and Ben gave us a tour of the townhouse, Kim saw Ben's game system and boasted that she could beat him at some game. They were in the family room now, yelling and laughing at each other as they played it.

"I can't believe you did this without any help," Angie said as she carefully examined my bun, lightly pressing on the pins she could see. "It looks so good."

"It's really cute," Gianna said. "I like how it's a little messy."

"I like it too," Emily said. "I never know what to do with mine."

"If I had some pins, I could do yours," I said. "Wouldn't take long."

"You should let her Emily," Gianna said quickly. "Your hair totally hides your face."

"Your eyes are gorgeous," I said. "You should show them off."

Emily blushed.

"That makes it unanimous," Angie said as she stood up. "Come on. I have some hair pins upstairs."

"I'll wait down here for Alice," Gianna said as Emily and I headed up the steps.

Emily sat in a chair in front of a huge mirror in the master bathroom and Angie set the pins on the counter. Emily handed me a small comb from her purse.

"Emily works with kids too," I said to Angie.

"You do?" Angie asked.

"I'm an aide at my son's preschool," Emily said.

"I teach first grade," Angie said. They instantly began a long chat about working with kids and dealing with parents among other things.

As she talked to Angie, Emily's eyes never left the mirror; she carefully watched everything I did to her hair.

"All done," I replied when I finished. Each time I'd seen her, Emily's long hair just hung limply around her face. Pinning it all up into the bun showed off her face and eyes, like we'd all said. She looked like a completely different person.

"I'm sorry but that's like night and day," Angie said. "You should wear it like that more often, or at least pull your hair back off your face. You look great."

Emily was too busy staring at herself in the mirror to reply. When she came to, she touched her earlobes lightly. "I love it," she said. "Thanks, Bella."

"Earrings would set the whole look off," Angie said, noticing like I had that Emily had touched her ears.

Emily blushed again. "It would," she said. "I wish I had my ears pierced. I always wanted to do it but I never did."

"I'm sure we'll pass a jewelry store today," I said. "You could get them pierced if you wanted."

"No," she said immediately. "I don't need to waste money on that."

Angie opened her mouth but I shook my head slightly. She took my meaning and didn't say anything. Emily _would_ be getting her ears pierced today; she just didn't know it yet. It would be Emmett's gift.

Gianna gasped when we went back downstairs. "We're keeping your hair like that all the time from now on," she said as Emily grinned.

Alice arrived about five minutes later, not upset in the least that she was so late.

"I knew you all wouldn't be on time," she said as we laughed.

To keep Kim company, Alice brought along her niece Sasha, who looked about Kim's age. Sasha was tiny like Alice, with golden-brown skin and curly light-brown hair; she was definitely as exuberant as her aunt.

"We met you at the mall," Sasha said excitedly as soon as Kim entered the living room.

"I remember," said Kim with equal enthusiasm as the girls began talking rapidly to each other.

"I feel sorry for whatever stores you all go to today," Ben said as he put on his coat.

"Don't be jealous," Alice said as we laughed.

After a quick kiss with Angie, Ben left and we set about the business of planning the day. I decided to speak first before Alice got started.

"Does anybody know where The Cheesecake Factory is?" I asked, pulling my purse into my lap.

"Yes," said Angie, Alice, and Gianna.

"Is the food any good?" I asked.

"I think their food is great," Alice said. "The menu's huge and the cheesecake is incredible."

"It's a little expensive," Gianna said nervously. "But the food is good."

"Do you want to go there when we finish shopping?" Angie asked. "I'm up for it. I haven't been in a while."

I instantly saw Emily and Gianna exchange worried glances.

"I don't know how much time you all have today," I said as I opened my purse. "But I'd like to go. It would be my treat."

"Let's do it," Alice said, "but I'm not letting you pay."

I pulled out the envelope I'd brought with me.

"I won't be paying with my money," I said. "I've got ..."

I stopped and counted the gift cards in my envelope.

"... three hundred and twenty-five dollars in gift cards here."

"Holy shit," Alice said as the girls giggled.

"Where'd you get all those?" Angie asked. "You never mentioned them to me."

"Since you left the apartment, I've been cleaning out and organizing all my stuff too," I replied. "I found these in a box of stuff I asked Renée to send me after I got here. I forgot all about them."

"But how'd you get so many?" Alice asked. She was sitting next to me and could see how many gift cards I had.

"My boss in Phoenix used to give these to us for any special occasion," I said. "Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries with the company."

"Why didn't you ever use them?" Gianna asked.

"She hates cheesecake," said Angie with a smirk. "You could have told me about them though."

I laughed with my friend who knew me so well.

"I really forgot about them until I was going through that box the other day," I said. "My mom and Phil didn't want them; they don't like it there. I never could bring myself to re-gift them, so I just held on to them."

"Are you sure you don't want to save them or something?" Gianna asked. "You and Em could use them."

"I've_ been_ saving them," I replied with a chuckle. "And Emmett's the one who suggested I use them for lunch for all of us today. I checked them online; they're still valid. I called their customer service too; they said we can definitely use them all at the same time on one meal."

"This is a perfect time to use them," Angie said happily as Alice and Sasha nodded. "I'm game. Gianna? Emily?"

Kim looked hopefully up at her mom and aunt. I think they were used to turning down offers like this and I hoped they wouldn't be difficult.

"I've never been but I've heard it's really good," Emily said. "I'd love to, if you really don't mind using your cards."

"Fine by me then," Gianna said, probably stunned like me that Emily had so readily agreed.

"Great," I replied.

"This is gonna be an awesome day," Kim said as she started jumping up and down causing all of us to laugh.

"Okay," Alice said over the noise. "If we're going to The Cheesecake Factory, this changes my plans. We can start ..."

I rolled my eyes repeatedly as I listened to Alice, Gianna, and Angie map out our day. It was clear that before she's been let go from EclipseCorp, Gianna had been quite the shopper, which I'd figured out anyway when I saw her closet. Angie wasn't on the shopping level of Gianna and Alice, but she knew way more about all the stores they discussed than I did.

My ornery behavior did have one positive effect: it kept Emily and the girls laughing. Finally, a little past noon, we were ready to leave.

"Let's just take my car," Alice said. "I can fit everybody."

I shook my head when we walked out to Alice's Honda Pilot. She laughed at me, reading my mind exactly. "I may be little for this big car," she said as we piled in, "but I've got a big family and I love to shop. I need this."

With much chatter, laughter, and frivolity, we finally began our shopping trek.

* * *

Having never been to The Cheesecake Factory, I was unaware of their large portions and even larger menu. We'd ordered some of the smaller portions but the sheer amount of food on our tables was a little overwhelming.

"So this is what gluttony looks like," I said as Gianna and Angie laughed.

"This was such a good idea," Alice said. "Perfect end to the day."

We all nodded, too busy eating to speak. It had actually been a very fun day after all. I found a suitable dress for the party with relative ease, as did Angie and Alice. Gianna said she already had a dress to wear, but had come along for the "fun".

While Gianna, Emily, and Sasha had been hesitant to give us honest opinions of the dresses we tried on, Kim had not. Like her father Liam, if Kim had something to say, she didn't mince words.

"No," she'd said to me at one point, "that dress doesn't look good with your boobs at all."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," I said as I frowned at the others who'd told me it looked 'incredible.'

I'd also managed to spread the word to the others that we needed to stop at a jewelry store to get Emily's ears pierced. She'd protested, and only caved when I called New Business and he told her to consider it his Christmas gift to her if she really wanted it.

"Thank you for doing this," she said as she stared at the tiny studs in her ear in the mirror at the jewelry store. "I love them."

I bought her another pair that I would give her for Christmas: aquamarine studs that Angie and I thought would look amazing with her eyes.

At the jewelry store, I also managed to get a little Christmas shopping of my own done. I bought a watch with a lot of gadgetry that I knew Charlie would _love._ I noticed a display filled with jewelry featuring both rough and polished-looking stones, all of which reminded me of the beach at La Push; I bought one of the bracelets for Sue.

As we ate, talk quickly turned to work.

"How do you like ATS?" Angie asked Gianna. "Ben says you're doing great."

"I like it," she said. "I don't have time not to like it. It's so busy."

I never had much time to talk to Gianna at work, and there was something I wanted to ask her. But I looked over at the end of the table to Kim and Sasha before I did. I needn't have worried: the girls were having a _very_ involved discussion about whether someone named Selena Gomez was or was not using Justin Bieber for publicity.

I turned to Gianna and asked my question. "Have you had any more problems with Jessica and company?"

"Not at all," she said. "I've very much enjoyed seeing her clean out that refrigerator each Friday."

"Ben told me about that," Angie said. "What a witch!"

"Some people are putting nasty shit in there just to watch her clean it," Alice said as we laughed.

"With all the new people, the 'B' Brigade is outnumbered these days," Alice added. "They're keeping a low profile. But the women aren't Gianna's problem anyway."

"Meaning?" I asked.

Gianna and Alice exchanged knowing glances.

"Some of the guys have been a little forward," Gianna replied.

I gasped, feeling horrible that I'd been so busy that I didn't know any of this had been going on.

"That guy James from I.T. was standing so close to me one day that I almost kneed him in the nuts to get him away," Gianna said. "Then, Felix and Paul from sales both kept asking me out and wouldn't stop until I talked to Jasper about it."

"They'd better leave you alone," Emily said, chuckling to herself. "Liam fights first and asks questions later."

We all laughed. "I haven't said anything about it to him," Gianna said. "They finally seem like they've gotten the message. And if not, they will when they see Liam at the party."

I chuckled and nodded in agreement. Liam was a big, angry-looking dude; his entire demeanor screamed "Fuck with me at your own risk."

"Is Emmett coming to the party?" Angie asked.

"No," I replied. "He doesn't want to. I'm taking my mom instead."

"Heaven help us all," said Angie as we laughed again.

"It sounds like it'll be a fun party," Emily said longingly. I wished I hadn't already asked my mom.

"Would you like to go?" Alice asked her. "You could be my guest."

"No," Emily said quickly. "You must be taking someone else."

Alice shook her head. "I'm going with Jasper, and he works there," she said. "We can both bring a guest, but we don't know anybody else who wants to go."

"I've got a dress you could wear," Gianna said to Emily. "You can ride with me and Liam. You know Maggie will watch the boys."

"You should come," Angie said. "We'll all be there."

"Okay then," Emily said. "Thank you for asking."

Gianna and I grinned at each other; I couldn't wait to get home and tell New Business about the day and how much Emily had opened up. Thoughts of Emmett reminded me of something, especially since we'd almost finished eating and were deciding whether we wanted dessert here or to go.

"Emmett wants me to bring him a Kobe burger," I said. "Does anybody want anything else to take home? We still have some money left on the cards. I really want to use up as much as we can."

As nice as this place was, I doubted I'd be back anytime soon and I knew none of them would take the rest of the cards. Surprisingly, I didn't have to beg; they all piped up with requests.

"Could we get the fish and chips for my dad?" Kim asked.

"I think my mom would like a piece of the red velvet cheesecake," Sasha said.

Emily, Gianna, Angie, and Alice each ordered something else too for their guys and boys. When the waiter came around, we placed our carryout order for desserts and for the other entrees.

With drinks, entrees, and desserts eaten here and taken home, we managed to use almost all of the money on the cards, which pleased me greatly. I took care of the check and, of course, debate and protest started when I pulled out cash to put for the tip. Everyone reached into their purses to help chip in.

"Look, I may not get back out to do much more Christmas shopping," I said, "so just consider this your gift from me. It might be all you get."

They laughed, but I was serious.

"I think we have more bags from here than from shopping," Angie said as we laughed and made our way to Alice's car.

As much as I'd dreaded this day, it turned out to be one of the best I'd ever had.

* * *

Saturday's not-all-that-stressful shopping trip inspired me to go out on Sunday as well. Even though I'd teased the girls about not getting much else for Christmas, when I got home Saturday, I forced myself to write out the rest of my Christmas list. Additionally, I knew that the comforter set in my bedroom would not meet Renée's approval at all, so I needed to get a new one before her visit.

New Business had already gone for the day, having promised to help his brother fix some plumbing issue at Liam and Gianna's, so I was on my own for the day. I enjoyed my morning, checking off item after item on my list, before I returned home where I began moving some items from my closet to the closet in the master bedroom.

"I forgot to ask you yesterday," Emmett said when he returned. "What did you think of Ben and Angie's?"

"I liked it, but it's way bigger than I expected," I replied. "It made me realize that I'm not ready for that much space yet."

"I'm glad," he said with a grin. "I like it here, I think it's the right size for us. It's just right for now."

I smiled as I started a load of laundry. "How was the fam?" I asked.

"Happy," he replied. "Emily loves her earrings. She wanted them when we were kids, but Ma wouldn't let her get them and she never did when she got older."

"Your mom did seem stunned when we walked in the house yesterday," I replied. The boys had lavished compliment after compliment on Emily about her hair and her earrings, but Maggie hadn't said much at all.

"Ma's not real big on change," he said. "I think it was a shock for her to see Emily with her hair all done up like that. I thought she looked great. She did it like that today too."

That comment made me happier than anything else Emmett had said. Looking good was a big part of feeling good and I thought that those few simple changes of earrings and a different hairdo had improved Emily's demeanor dramatically.

When I finished putting in laundry, I started transferring things to the closet in the master bedroom again, this time with help from New Business.

"Is this for the new bed?" he asked when he noticed the comforter set I'd purchased today. "We got a bigger bed, remember? This won't fit."

"No, it's for this bed," I replied. "The sheets and stuff I've been using won't pass my mom's inspection. I bought the new set to keep her quiet."

He looked a little alarmed. "What's wrong with the one that's on now?"

"The thread count isn't high enough for her wanna-be-upper-class sensibilities," I replied as he laughed.

"Speaking of my mom, you and I need to talk," I said as I sat down on the bed and leaned against my pillows. I even turned the TV off.

"Uh oh, this sounds serious," he said, leaning against the pillows on his side.

"You and I haven't really talked in depth about what our long-term plans are," I said.

"You're right," he said.

"We need to," I said. "Not because I'm trying to force you into anything, but because we need to be on the same page. Especially with all our family getting together soon."

"I've been thinking the same thing," he replied, looking at me intently. "I know Ma's gonna corner you Friday when she's over here for the furniture delivery. She's already pissed at me."

"I noticed you two seemed upset with each other at dinner last Sunday," I said. "What was that all about?"

"I wasn't gonna say anything, but you're right, we need to be on the same page," he replied. "She wants me to propose to you for Christmas."

I groaned and shook my head.

"When I said I wasn't ready, she got all huffy about it," he continued. "She says I need to propose now and we can get to know each other more later. She thinks you'll find somebody better and leave me."

"Did she say that?" I yelled, surprising myself by the ferocity of my reaction.

"Not in so many words, but that's what she meant," he replied. "She loves us, don't get me wrong, but she sees you as normal, and me as ... not normal."

I sighed. "You know that's total bullshit, don't you?" I asked. "Growing up how you did made you the man you are. Doesn't she see that?"

"Ma sees us in her own special way," he said with a sigh. "She understands that we're adults, but to her we're still the kids she had to protect growing up. We went through a lot of shit in the neighborhood and at school. It's not that she believes something's wrong with us, but I do think a part of her thinks we're not like other people. _Normal _people, who didn't grow up like we did."

I thought about some of the things Gianna told me about their dad Dean wandering the neighborhood when he wasn't in his right mind. Emmett, Liam, and Emily had probably been targets of mocking and derision from other kids. I'm sure that had made Maggie very overprotective of them.

"Emily said something to that effect yesterday," I replied. "She said that Gianna understood you guys because she knew how you'd lived, but that I made her feel a little less than because I'd had a good life."

"She didn't mean anything by that," he said quickly.

"I know," I replied. "But it was a perspective I wasn't used to. It's funny because my mom sees me differently too. I love her but she's very self-centered, she says so herself. She was always pushing me to do things that her friends' kids were doing, even if I didn't want to, so that she could keep up with them."

"Like ballet," he said.

"Yes, like ballet," I replied. "And modeling classes, and acting classes too. She even tried to put me in cheerleading camp. That was a disaster."

I thought Emmett would laugh, but he didn't. "Did the kids make fun of you?"

"Big time," I replied bitterly. "Here I was this pale bookworm trying to do things the popular kids were doing. And my mom was the one forcing me into it. I really had to learn to ignore a lot and take a lot of bullshit and keep my head held high."

Emmett gave a bitter chuckle of his own. "I know all about that."

I nodded. "I always used to love summer because I got to spend so much time in Forks with Charlie," I said. "I had him and I had Angela, and they just let me be me. It was like I was good enough for them; I never felt like I was good enough for my mom."

"We were the opposite," he said. "We felt like we were good enough for our mom and we knew she had our back, but we kind of knew our family, with our dad, wasn't like the other kids."

"I noticed that you never mention any friends, but I didn't say anything," I said as he nodded. "Angie's the only real friend I ever had. I was good acquaintances with a few people in Phoenix, but I just never fit in."

"That's like me," he said. "I'm good acquaintances with a couple guys at the gym, and a few people from ATS, like Jasper, but you're the best friend I've ever had."

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it as he kept talking, tears running down my face.

"Me, Emily, and Liam had to stick together," he said. "Everybody knew about my dad. Sometimes, he'd go off and show up at other people's houses and shit, and talk out of his head. Nobody would let their kids come around him. We couldn't have anybody over.

"Eventually, kids mostly left us alone; they stopped trying to pick fights with us because me and Liam were always kind of big for our age, and they knew we looked out for Emily so they left her alone too. But they talked about us and called us names. _A lot_."

"We're sort of perfect for each other," I said with a chuckle as I wiped my wet face.

"You just figured that out?" he remarked. I noticed that his eyes were watery too.

I wanted to be closer to him so I straddled his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. We clung together tightly and quietly sobbed for all the pain we'd endured as kids who didn't quite fit in for very different reasons.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me," he whispered against my neck. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said. "That's why we have to talk about what we want so we don't let our parents pressure us."

"Bella, I'm not ready for marriage and kids, and I don't know when I will be," he said as he leaned back and stared into my eyes. "I just want to enjoy you like this. I like how we are now."

"I like this too," I replied, grateful that he was finally opening up. "I always wanted to meet somebody who looked at me like you do, and made me feel like you do. You make me so happy."

"It just seems like marriage weighs people down sometimes," he said. "It's a big responsibility. I just want us to be like this for as long as we can. You know how I feel about you; you know what you mean to me. Just because I don't want to get married yet doesn't mean I'm not committed to you."

I nodded and truly understood why he felt that way. Emmett's life had been filled with nothing but responsibility since he was a kid: he felt responsible for his mother, his father, and for Emily. He'd never had time to just be himself, living the life that he wanted.

"The last thing I want is for you to see me as a responsibility or a burden," I said as I wiped away tears. "You've had major shit to deal with your whole life, and I want you to enjoy life for the first time, with me. I'm perfectly okay, for now anyway, with just continuing like we are. I don't need a ring or a piece of paper. Not yet."

"Thank you," he said, before he broke down in tears and pulled me to him again.

"When our families press," I said as I held him, "we'll tell them: 'We like what we have now. We're not ready for more just yet.'"

"That sounds good," he replied as he leaned back to grin at me, then leaned back in to press his lips to mine.

"What about kids?" I asked him when we pulled ourselves apart. "It sounds like you don't want them at all."

He sighed. "If I never had kids, I'd always wonder what my life would have been like if I'd had them," he said. "But I also worry. Look what happened to my dad. His mind went. What if that happens to me? I don't want any kid to go through what I did: your own father not recognizing you sometimes. I don't know."

"Mental illness can strike anyone," I said, trying not to sound like a public service announcement. "I don't know if what happened to your dad was genetic but you told me he was a little older. It might not happen to you like it happened to him."

He nodded slightly, but looked extremely concerned.

"You can't live in fear of what might happen to you," I added. "I think you'd be a great dad. I want to try to have at least one child, someday."

"I do too, with you," he said, finally. "I'm just scared. But I know you'll be a great mom."

"And again, we just have to make it clear to our parents that we'll talk about kids when the time is right which isn't now."

"I like that answer," New Business said. "Are we done talking?"

"I think so," I whispered as he began slowly massaging my thighs.

"Good," he replied as he rolled me over until I was flat on my back, beneath him on the bed.

We made love that night for what felt like hours, slowly, leisurely, as all the raw emotion of our talk poured from us into our union. This time together felt almost as important as our talk, it was like we needed this encounter to seal our plans for our future together. To seal our joined fates.

I didn't know how my life would play out, whether we'd get married, or have kids, but I did know that my life wouldn't be very fulfilling at all without this handsome, loving, caring man in it.

* * *

The next week, with two weeks to go before Christmas, work kept me busy as ever. On Monday, Emmett left for his trip to Boise; Caius, Peter, Jared, and the chiefs left for the DC conference. Before he left, Caius agreed that the assessments, both those for the new employees and the follow-ups, could wait until January.

"The chiefs really want that annual report," he said. "We've made some halfhearted attempts at them in the past, but we want an in-depth one this year. That's what I want you to focus on. We want it approved and up on the website by the end of the month."

So I spent my week trying to write about the 2012 year for ATS when only two people besides the chiefs - - Alice and Jasper - - had worked there when 2012 began.

Emmett returned Tuesday night after a successful sales trip; Caius and the others were back at work Thursday morning. Peter and Jared had me laughing so hard I was near tears as they shared their experiences at the ATS booth at the conference. Apparently, the chiefs had tried to micromanage _everything_; I was so glad I hadn't gone.

On Friday, Emmett dropped Maggie off at my place for the furniture delivery. She brought puzzle books, romance novels, and knitting materials with her and seemed incredibly excited. She called me at noon to say that the furniture had all been delivered and looked great. I fibbed and told Caius I had to leave early for a doctor's appointment. He barely let me leave - - he'd practically been attached to my hip since he'd returned from DC - - but I escaped and made it home by four.

I gasped when I walked into the apartment. The furniture looked so beautiful all set up; it felt like a completely different space.

"It's beautiful," Maggie said with great delight, "your mom has great taste."

"Thank you for sitting over here all day," I said. "I hate that you were all by yourself."

"Don't worry, I wasn't," she said with a chuckle. "Harry came over for a few hours before his shift. He was here when the delivery guys came. He was in uniform too, so they didn't mess around."

"I hope you two behaved yourselves," I said.

"Now that wouldn't have been any fun at all," she said as she laughed.

"Did you want me to take you home, or do you want to wait for Emmett?" I asked.

"I'll wait for him," she said. "This is the first time I've had you alone. I wanted to get to know you a little better."

I instantly thought of my chat with New Business Sunday night. He said she'd try to have a long talk with me.

"Me too," I said. "Let me change and I'll be right out."

Before I changed, I peeked in at the master bedroom and the beautiful rustic-looking wax pine bedroom set. Just like the rest of the furniture, it too looked great. When I returned to the kitchen, Maggie had put place settings at the dining room table and had already dished out food onto plates for us both. Apparently, she'd cooked while she was here.

"Force of habit?" I asked as I sat down and smirked at her.

"Sorry. It is," she said with a grin. "You should know that this is Em's favorite casserole. I left the recipe for you. You had all the ingredients; I hope you don't mind that I cooked."

"Not at all. Thanks," I said. "It certainly smells good."

I chuckled when she opened a can of Mountain Dew.

"I see it's you that started the family soda addiction," I said.

"You had it in the fridge," she said as she laughed.

"Because of your son," I replied. "Gianna drinks it too."

We laughed and talked more as we ate. As I expected, the polite chat quickly turned more serious.

"So you like Seattle?" Maggie asked.

"I do," I replied. "I worried at first because it's a lot different from Phoenix, but I'm happy here."

"You don't think you'll move back there?" she asked.

"No, my life's here now," I replied. "With Emmett."

She grinned broadly. "You have a very nice apartment," she said. "Harry told me there's very little crime here. He checked."

"I feel safe here and it's pretty quiet," I said. "It's a good spot for the next year or so."

"What happens then?" she asked before I barely had the sentence out.

"Well, I'd like to buy a place," I said. "I'll know the area better, and Emmett and I will be further along in our relationship. I hope we'll find a place together."

She smiled again and nodded, almost like she was going down some mental checklist in her head.

"Do you think you'd like a brand-new house or something older and more traditional?" she asked. "You and Em can afford whatever you want, but there's some nice big houses in our neighborhood that just need a little TLC."

"You're about as subtle as my own mom," I said as she cracked up laughing. "And just so you know, she's not subtle at all."

"I want all my kids right near me," she said as she chuckled. "At least I'm honest about it."

"You are, but I don't know where we'll live, so I can't give you an answer on that," I said. "I'm fairly sure we'll live in the Seattle area."

"I'll take it," she said. "Now what about kids? I know you're a career woman, but surely you want to have kids."

I broke out the prepared answer New Business and I agreed upon. "We'll talk about kids when the time is right, but that time isn't now."

She frowned at me. "Come on," she said. "Do you want kids? At least tell me that."

"We'll see," I replied, causing another frown.

"Em deserves a happy family of his own," she said, borderline pleading with me.

"What if he doesn't want kids?" I asked.

"Of course he wants kids," she said, looking aghast that I would suggest that he didn't.

"Has he ever said that?" I asked.

"He's wonderful with the boys and Kim too," she said, completely ignoring my question. "You've seen him. He'll be a great dad."

"I'm sure he would," I replied. "But he may not want to be."

"I'm surprised at you," she said, shaking her head at me. "I thought you wanted to get married and have kids. No wonder Em's dragging his feet about proposing. Neither one of you knows what you want."

"Maggie, that's completely unfair," I said, trying to rein in my temper. "We haven't been dating very long at all, and we've only known each other since the end of August when I started working at ATS. There's no rush."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead like I was giving her a big headache.

"Bella, Em's had a very hard life," she said. "Much harder than his brother and sister. He's always felt responsible for taking care of me and the whole family. That's the way he's made. I want him to have his happy ending."

"I want the same thing," I said. "But I don't understand why you think getting married and having kids is the only way he can be happy."

"Why do you keep saying that?" she yelled, finally losing her cool. "Marriage makes things permanent. It makes things official. That's the way it is."

"Maybe that's how it was for you," I said. "But that might not be how it is for us. We're happy together, but we may not ever get married or have kids. I think you should respect that."

She narrowed her eyes at me and actually crossed her arms over her ample chest.

"Let's cut the crap here," she said sharply, shocking me with how quickly she'd changed temperament. "You're a very, _very_ pretty girl. You make your own money; you've got your career. I'm sure you could have your pick of men. If my son doesn't propose to you, what's to stop you from leaving?"

"Your son has made it crystal clear how serious he is about me," I said, trying my hardest to keep from seriously losing it on her. "I love him, Maggie. He's it for me. Maybe you didn't know that before because you and I haven't spent any real time together. But I'm telling you now."

"Then why don't you want to get married?" she cried.

I took a moment to collect myself. Now I saw _exactly_ why New Business had been so stressed and out of sorts last week at Thanksgiving; she'd probably been nagging him since the first day I came for dinner. I decided to break out the other line we agreed to use on our parents.

"We like what we have and we're not ready for more just yet," I said calmly.

Maggie jumped up from the table, snatched her cell phone off the counter, and hastily made her way down the hall to the bathroom where she slammed the door.

I sighed and stood to clear the dishes and cover the casserole. I hoped that Emmett wouldn't be too upset with me when he got here, but I didn't see where I'd done anything wrong. I didn't have to wait long to find out because minutes after Maggie ran off, he arrived.

"It looks great," he said with a big grin, taking in all the new furniture around the living and dining room. "Feels different in here too."

"It does," I said glumly.

"What happened?" he asked with a smirk. "Did Ma start with you too?"

I nodded. "I tried to be polite, but I told her we're not ready for marriage and kids yet. Then, she ran and locked herself in the bathroom."

"Did you use the line?" he asked, grinning, not upset at all.

I nodded, still feeling badly about Maggie's reaction.

"Then I'm proud of you," he said as he leaned down and kissed me. "Don't worry."

New Business marched down the hall and banged on the bathroom door.

"Ma, come out of there right now," he shouted.

She instantly opened the door. "I just want you to be happy," she said, her tone matching his. "I'm looking out for your best interests."

"I asked you to stop..."

I didn't hear the rest of what New Business because it sounded like he'd moved them into the master bedroom and shut the door where they clearly tried to lower their voices.

I didn't drink much and never kept alcohol in the house, but I wished I had a drink right now.

Soon, someone knocked on the door. I opened it to find Harry.

"Hi, Bella," he said as he stepped inside. "I came to check on Maggie. She sounded upset when she called."

I locked the door behind him, then looked down the hall. "She's with Emmett now," I said. "They're talking. I didn't mean to upset her."

"It doesn't take much," he said quietly as his eyes drifted to the casserole.

"You're welcome to have some," I said.

"Thanks. I'll take you up on that," he replied.

I plated a sizeable portion, heated it in the microwave, and asked what he wanted to drink.

"Must have been some argument if they're fighting in front of other people," he said as the voices from down the hall increased again and continued on.

"I should've just kept my big mouth shut," I replied with a sigh.

"I don't know what happened, but you were probably in the right," he said to my surprise. "She means well, and she loves those kids, but she goes a little too far sometimes. I'm happy Emmett's found someone strong-minded like you."

"Thanks, Harry," I said. "All I said was that we want to move at our own pace about marriage and kids."

He smiled as he chewed his food. "She was hoping you'd be on her side, wanting to get married right away."

"My parents are acting the same way," I said. "I can't understand why they can't at least give us some time, at least a year. We're still getting to know each other."

"As a parent," he said, "you want your kids to be happy, but you want them with decent people too. You should see some of the losers my daughter has dated over the years."

I laughed, glad for this opportunity to talk with Harry who seemed very reasonable.

"Not only are you decent," he said, "but you're pretty, you work hard, and you don't have any kids. She's convinced you'll find somebody... with less baggage... than Emmett once you stay in Seattle longer and get out more."

"You mean somebody 'better'," I said bitterly, putting the last word in air quotes with my hands. "Way to sell Emmett short. He's a great guy."

Harry nodded.

"You hang in there," he said. "I'm glad you stood up for yourself. This needed to happen."

"You're very rational," I said as he laughed. "Are you on the hostage negotiation team?"

"No," he replied. "And if I don't lose some weight soon, I'm about to be on the sit-behind-the-desk team."

We were laughing together and talking when Maggie and Emmett finally emerged. Both of their faces were bright red from arguing but I had to say, New Business looked rather pleased with himself, whereas Maggie looked upset yet resigned. Before they could say anything, I walked over and hugged Maggie.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't want you upset."

She nodded against my shoulder. "I'm sorry too," she said. "I just want him happy."

"I am," he said as she pulled away from me.

"Are you ready, Harry?" she asked.

He nodded and put his coat back on.

"Thanks again for staying today and letting the delivery guys in, Maggie," I said. "You too, Harry."

Maggie nodded as she put her coat on but didn't say anything.

"You're quite welcome," Harry said. "Great place ya got here. Until next time."

I locked the door behind them when they left and turned to face a smirking New Business.

"Takes a pretty strong person to stand up to my mom," he said as he grinned down at me.

"A bad-ass, would you say?" I remarked as we cracked up laughing together.

He pulled me against him in a tight hug. "Thank you," he said as he stared down at me.

"Trust me," I said. "Very soon, you'll be having the same conversation with my mom. And unlike your mother, mine curses."

He guffawed. We walked to the kitchen where he heated up some of the casserole and he told me more,_ much more_, of what Maggie had been saying to him since he'd met me. I was glad that I'd spoken up; I wasn't going to let anyone ruin what we had, not even the people who'd given birth to us.

"Come on," he said after he'd eaten. "There's an awesome new bed we need to test out."

I _might_ have made it to the master bedroom before he did.

* * *

The weekend before the holiday parties started off well. With all the furniture in, the apartment truly began to feel like our home. New Business brought a ton more clothes over: several more suits and ties, new underwear, undershirts, and socks, and much more gym wear. When he brought over several pairs of his beloved Nikes, I knew he was serious about being here.

On Sunday, I wrapped all of my Christmas gifts and placed them around my little tree. Around noon, when I was done, I made an unannounced visit to the McCartys. When I pulled up in front of their house, Emmett was just opening the gate to leave.

"Hey," he said in great surprise. "You were knocked out when I left you."

"I do wake up," I said as he laughed. "I just came to talk about the Christmas dinner."

"Have fun," he said. "Everybody's here, even Harry."

"Where are you headed?" I asked.

"That's for me to know, and you not to worry about," he replied with a wink.

"Tell your other girlfriend I said 'hello' when you get there," I said as he guffawed.

"I'll do that," he said.

"See you later," I said as he leaned down and kissed me. I turned to walk into the yard but he called to me.

"When do Caius and those guys leave for Vegas?" he asked.

"They're leaving tonight," I replied.

"Cool," he said. "See ya."

New Business and his team weren't leaving until the morning, but this was a bigger and more important conference than the one in DC, and Caius and the chiefs wanted to be sure that they arrived in enough time to prepare. However, neither Peter nor Jared was upset at spending an extra night in Sin City.

When I walked inside, it was apparent that the family had seen me outside with Emmett.

"We saw you kissing," sang Kim as Henry turned bright red from all his giggling.

I greeted everyone and I noticed that Maggie still seemed a little mad at me. However, she perked up considerably when she heard the reason for my visit.

"I hate to just show up like this, but I figure I'm family now," I said as everyone laughed. I sat down on the couch and Austin scrambled up into my lap.

"I wondered if you had some time to talk about the Christmas dinner," I said.

"Definitely," said Maggie. "Let me finish up in the kitchen and I'll be right out."

"They look great," I said to Emily with regard to her earrings. "Have you had any problems?"

"No, I love them," she said. "I've been doing all the stuff the lady at the store told me to take care of them. I'm trying to keep my hair up too. Everybody loves it like this."

"Do you like it?" I asked her. Emily smiled widely and nodded.

"She looks great," Liam said as he smiled warmly at his sister.

"I was going to mention Christmas dinner at work tomorrow if you hadn't stopped by," Gianna said. "The clock's ticking." I nodded.

"When are your parents coming in?" Liam asked.

"My mom and my stepdad are coming Thursday evening," I replied.

"Are they staying with you?" Gianna asked.

"Yes," I replied. "My dad and his girlfriend aren't coming until Christmas Eve; they're staying at a hotel downtown."

"I can't wait to meet the people who gave us you," Harry said as I snorted and everyone else laughed. I maneuvered around Austin to pull my planner and pen from my purse just as Maggie returned from the kitchen.

"I don't want to take over the dinner," she said, "but I always cook roast chicken and ham for Christmas and I could make those."

"Perfect," I replied with much relief. "Now for sides ..."

"I make pretty good mac and cheese," Emily said. "I can make a big pan of that."

"Excellent," I replied.

"I can do rolls from scratch," Gianna said. "My grandmother's recipe."

"You haven't made those in a while," Liam said. "I can't wait."

"My mom likes scalloped potatoes at Christmas dinner," I said, writing down everyone's contributions on my list, "so I'll make that and some stuffing."

Harry cleared his throat. "Uh, if you trust me to cook, I do make a great green bean casserole," he said.

"I trust you completely if it means I don't have to do it," I said as everyone laughed.

"What about cake?" Henry asked.

"I usually make German chocolate for my stepdad," I said. "I think you might like that."

"If you make it, I'll eat it," he said happily.

"Me too," said Austin from my lap as he tried to grab my pen from me.

"I love these kids," I said as everyone laughed.

"Does your mom cook?" Gianna said.

"No," I said. "And you wouldn't want her too. I'm sure she'll buy something for the dinner when she gets here. That's how she is. My dad doesn't either. I learned from my grandmothers."

I spent quite a bit more time with the family but had to leave eventually: Angie was due to stop by the apartment to see the new furniture and I didn't want to miss her.

Once I said my goodbyes and accepted hugs from the kids, I was surprised when Liam walked with me to my car.

"I just want to thank you for what you did for Emily," he said. "You might not think it was that much but it was huge. She never had many friends or anything and she had a real good time."

"It was no problem at all," I said. "We'll do more stuff together in the future."

"Ma and Em baby her," he said, "but she's needs to get out and do more stuff."

I smiled. "You know Liam, it's great to see you a little less _stressed_," I said.

"You mean not angry and yelling," he said as I laughed.

"Things are finally getting a little better," he said, "for all of us."

"I'm glad," I replied. "I'll see you later."

When I arrived home, Angie was already there. She sat cross-legged on the floor, shamelessly looking at the tags on the gifts around my tree.

"_So_ nosey," I said as she laughed.

It was obvious where New Business had been on his way to when I'd seen him earlier: to shop for a TV for the living room. He'd found one, and he and Ben had already set it up. Now, they were hooking up a series of wires from a game system to it. Several video game cases had already been placed in the new entertainment console.

"I was just gonna move the TV from my bedroom out here," I said as I watched them.

"I'd hurt my eyes looking at that little TV all the time," New Business said. "This is my gift to_ me. _Now it feels like home."

I shook my head and laughed at him, though I was glad that he was settling in here too.

"I think it looks great in here," Ben said. "Emmett told us the name of the store where you got this furniture. We need to go there. We have more rooms to fill."

"What do you think?" I asked Angie.

"I love it. It's like a whole different apartment," she said. "Were you out Christmas shopping?"

"No I was with the family," I replied as New Business turned and grinned widely at me. "We needed to plan the Christmas dinner. Christmas is only nine days away now."

"I am so sorry I have to miss out on your mom meeting everybody," Angie said. "Can't you videotape it and put it on YouTube or something?"

I cracked up laughing as did Emmett and Ben.

"No," I replied. "But I promise to give you the play-by-play. The biggest thing I'm worried about is her meeting Sue."

"Really?" Angie said.

"Really," I replied. "Sue's tough. I have a feeling they're not gonna hit it off so well. And Renée _keeps_ asking me about her."

"I'm starting to wish I could be at this dinner," Ben said with a chuckle.

"Feel free to stop by," Emmett said. "We'll have plenty of food."

"Says the person not cooking a thing," I said as they all laughed.

"I'd love to, but I can't," Ben said. "I'll be in Forks with Angie."

"Well, well, well," I said as Angie cracked up, "this is news."

"My dad was really disappointed that I didn't tell him I was living with Eric," she said. "I'm older now and I'm not going to hide my life because he might not approve."

"Angie's met my family, so I think it's only right I meet hers, sooner rather than later," Ben said.

"Do you pray?" I asked Ben. "If not, you should start now."

"Don't scare him off," Angie said as we all cackled. "At least let me get him to Forks first."

"They can't be that bad," Ben said with a chuckle.

Angie and I smirked at each other and shook our heads.

* * *

The week before Christmas, I continued work on the annual report. I'd submitted a draft to the chiefs and they had extensive edits and demands for what should and shouldn't be included. With Caius, the chiefs, and the marketing guys gone to the Vegas conference early in the week, I could actually work on it in relative peace.

All talk around the office centered around Friday's holiday party. Alice, Gianna, and I discussed it as we ate lunch together on Tuesday.

"I can't believe they're letting us off at three on Friday just to get ready for the party," Alice said.

"Everybody's pretty excited about it," I remarked.

"Are you?" Gianna asked with a smirk.

"I'm reserving judgment until I get there," I replied as they laughed. "What about Liam? Does he really want to go?"

"He does," Gianna said. "He's looking forward to seeing some of the people he worked with at Eclipse."

"It's a shame Emmett won't come, but I understand," Alice said. "He looked ready to beat the shit out of Edward that day he resigned."

"That's why I didn't pressure him when he said he didn't want to come," I said. "I don't think it would go too well."

"I have a feeling we'll be talking about this party for a very long time," Gianna said as we all laughed.

The rest of the week passed fairly quickly. Before I knew it, it was Thursday evening and I stood in the middle of the living room, crying uncontrollably into my mom's shoulder as we grasped each other.

"They'll be like this for a while," Phil said to Emmett. "We better introduce ourselves. I'm Phil Dwyer, Bella's stepfather."

"Emmett McCarty," said New Business. "Nice to finally meet you. I'll show you to your room."

I chuckled as I cried against my mom, who was crying just as hard as me.

"I missed you so much," I sobbed when I could finally stand to pull back a little and let her go.

"You don't know how much I miss you," she said, pulling me to her again. "It's not the same without you around."

By the time we let each other go, then fawned and talked all over each other, Phil and Emmett had brought in all the bags from the rental car, changed clothes, fixed plates, sat down at the dining room table, and started eating dinner.

"This is so nice," Renée said as she looked around the apartment. "It's much bigger than I thought. The furniture looks perfect in here."

"It does. Thanks so much," I replied. "Come see the bedrooms."

I pulled her down the hall, completely forgetting about Phil.

"Hi, Bella," he shouted down the hall behind me.

"Shut up, Phil," my mom and I yelled at the same time to a chorus of laughs from him and New Business.

"Is this your new bedroom set?" Renée asked when we entered the now-guest bedroom.

"No, this is the set I bought when I moved here," I replied.

She frowned. "You should have upgraded this with the rest of the furniture," she said. "I'll talk to Jeff when I visit the store and see what I can do."

"There's nothing wrong with this," I said as she took off her coat and laughed at me. We walked into the master bedroom which she clearly approved of.

"_This_ is more like it," she said.

"Emmett picked it," I replied.

"Thank god he's got good taste," she said as she walked over and shut the door. "It's a little masculine for you, but it'll do."

"Glad you like it," I said as I rolled my eyes.

"You look great, baby," she said as she looked me up and down. "You're definitely in love."

"You look great too," I said, ignoring the last part of her comment. "I'm not used to you quite this blonde though." Her usually auburn hair was now a very light shade of blonde.

"Just trying something new," she said. "Now talk to me about that body builder out there."

I cracked up laughing as she sat on the bed. "What can I say? He's amazing."

"He's _huge _is what he is," she said. "It's a wonder you can walk."

I'd been expecting a salacious comment or two like this, so I laughed; there was no point getting upset.

"He's big," I whispered, "but not like abnormal or anything."

"But you're so much smaller than him," she said. "It has to hurt."

"I had some difficulty sitting the first day," I replied as she cackled. "But I'm used to him now."

"You lucky lucky girl," she replied. "Is he good?"

I blushed, but nodded.

"Ooh, we have so much to talk about," she said as she stood up. "Let me go get changed and freshened up and I'll be out soon. You go and catch up with Phil."

I finally greeted Phil properly and laughed and talked with him at dinner. He wasted no time teasing me, just like always.

"That's a sad little Christmas tree," he said as Emmett guffawed. "The stack of gifts is taller."

"I've been busy," I said as I laughed. "You're lucky I have a tree at all."

Phil grinned, but changed the subject.

"I hope you two understand that whenever it happens, you're getting married in Phoenix," he said. "Please don't try to fight it. She's told all her friends."

"I warned Emmett how she'd be," I replied, shaking my head.

"There's no warning for my wife," he said to New Business. "You just have to weather the storm."

"Here comes the storm now so get ready," I said as they laughed.

My mom poured herself a glass of the wine I'd bought to have ready for her and sat down at the breakfast bar.

"Emmett, be a dear and come sit with me," she said. "I have a few questions for you."

Phil and I snorted as he slowly got up and walked to sit at the table near Renée.

"You two keep quiet and watch your boring financial shows," she said. "I need to learn all about my son-in-law."

Phil and I watched TV and caught up over what we'd been up to since we'd last seen each other while Renée and Emmett talked for hours. When Phil got up to shower and go to bed, I rescued New Business.

"We have work tomorrow, mom," I said as I grabbed his hand and he quickly stood up. "You've got a whole week to spend time with Emmett."

"And I will," she said. "See you in the morning."

We made our way to our bedroom and shut the door. New Business quickly turned on me.

"Why the fuck did you buy her wine?" he asked quietly as I fell onto the bed and laughed.

"She would have went and got some anyway, and then she'd have bitched because I didn't have it here for her," I said.

He sat down on the bed looking shell-shocked.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"I have no words for what just happened to me," he said. I rolled over onto the pillow to muffle my laughs. "She asked me if I was on steroids."

I absolutely howled with laughter into the pillow as he continued.

"She didn't even wait for my answer before she told me how they can cause infertility and I should stop."

"Vindication," I said as he laughed. "I told you not to put my family up on some pedestal. The woman has no filter."

He leaned back against the pillows, shaking his head but smiling. "She just doesn't stop talking," he said.

"Not many guys could handle it. I think that earns you the bad-ass crown today."

"I think I just earned that shit," he said as we readied for bed, laughing all the while.

* * *

I seemed to be the only person actively doing work on Friday; everyone else was all aflutter about the party.

"A word of warning," Caius said. "My whole family will be there."

I blinked, then shook my head.

"That's exactly how I feel," he replied with a defeated expression.

When I got home, Renée had already laid out an outfit for me to wear. Instead of wasting my breath to tell her that I had a dress already, I just decided to wear the dress that I'd bought to Emmett's company party tomorrow night.

Once dressed, I stood in front of the mirror, examining myself. I wanted to find fault with the outfit my mom bought for me, but I could not. The winter-white A-line dress was very simple, with long sleeves that flared out a little at the wrists and a high neckline that didn't draw attention to my boobs. It wasn't super baggy but it wasn't tight either. My only complaint was its length, which was much shorter than I would have liked, resting above the middle of my thigh. Still, overall, I loved the dress and I said so.

"I like this. Thank you for bringing it," I said. She was wearing the exact same dress, only hers was red.

"You're so pale I can barely tell you have the tights on," she said as I laughed. "I love your hair up in that bun though; at least those ballet lessons were good for something."

A knock sounded on my bedroom door; I knew it was Emmett.

"You two ready?" he called. "We need to get going."

"Yeah, I can't be late," I said. Who knew what Rose would do if anybody showed up late.

"Two more minutes," my mom yelled back.

I slipped on the black heels she'd brought, thankful that they were a manageable height for me. Hers were easily two inches higher than mine; she was smaller than I was and she made it look effortless to walk on those stilts.

"You're all Swan," she said with a slight frown as she fussed and tutted over me and checked my makeup.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, amused by her as always.

"Well, you have enough of me to mitigate the damage," she said as I guffawed.

When she was satisfied that I wouldn't embarrass her, she pinned a beautiful ornate brooch in the shape of a snowflake to my dress. Then, she clipped one in the shape of a wreath to hers.

"All done. You look_ hot_," she said, slapping my ass. "Let's go."

Emmett's eyes practically leapt out of his face when we entered the living room. There was a _lot _of leg showing between the two of us.

"Wow," he said. "You two, I don't even know what to say."

"We know," said my mom with a smug grin as we put our coats on.

My amazing boyfriend offered to drive us to The Cameron, the site of the party, so that we could drink. Phil was going with him and they were going to hang out at some sports bar while they waited to pick us up. I'd asked Phil if he wanted to go, but he said he'd rather spend the time getting to know Emmett.

"You have no idea how hot you look," New Business whispered in my ear when he held the car door open for me.

"I pretty much do," I whispered, loving the compliment.

"When you get back, it's on," he said, kissing me on the neck.

"I don't know, I might be too tired from partying," I said.

"Tough shit," he said as I laughed.

* * *

The Cameron looked more like an old stately mansion than a hotel and conference center, but it definitely gave an air of exclusivity as Alice had said.

"Did you see his face when you walked out?" my mom asked, laughing, as the guys drove off.

"It actually fell to the floor," I said, chuckling along with her.

"I don't expect you to dress like this all the time," she said, "I know you too well. But every once in a while, you gotta crank up your look. Keeps 'em interested."

Having just seen Emmett's reaction, I couldn't actually argue with her. When it came to men, I'd learned a long time ago that my mom generally knew what she was talking about.

We walked through the entrance and lobby, both of which looked much more modern than the rest of the building. A stern-looking host directed us to the Tilia Ballroom. There, I gave my name to a much more pleasant host who told us the table to which me and my guest had been assigned, then we checked our coats.

"You work for people with money, honey," Renée said as we looked around the grandiose ballroom. Square tables had been set up in the center of the room and winter-themed decorations and centerpieces adorned the space everywhere I looked. Long buffet tables laden with food lined the sides of the room. The entire setup was stunning.

"This is very old Hollywood," said Renée approvingly.

"Looks more like the hotel in 'The Shining' to me," I quipped as she laughed.

As soon as we moved further into the space to try to find our table, Caius - - large drink in hand - - was upon us.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, who knew you cleaned up so well?" Caius said as he took in my appearance.

I chuckled as my mom practically drooled at the sight of my boss.

"Caius, this is my mom, Renée Dwyer," I said. "Mom, this is my boss, Caius Cullen."

"You did this, obviously," he said with a big grin as he pointed to me.

"I did," Renée replied, taken with him immediately.

"Your daughter is a tough, bright young woman. You should be very proud," he said.

"I am," Renée said as she beamed. "And I wholeheartedly agree."

"Hello, Bella," said Dora, Caius's wife, looking furious at the attention we were receiving from her husband.

"Hi, Dora," I said as I introduced my mom.

"Why don't you come and meet the family?" Dora said with a very fake grin.

"Lead the way," my mom said eagerly, unaware of the lion's den we were about to enter.

At the very front of the room, in front of a stage, the assorted members of Caius's family sat, taking up several tables at the far left. While the other people who'd arrived stood mingling and talking around the room, his family stayed at the tables, staring and whispering.

When Esme's eyes grew wide at my approach, I knew I'd been a recent topic of discussion. Edward's date went so far as to lace her arm through his as she glared at me. When Caius introduced Renée to all of the Cullens, Masens, and Hales, Rose never opened her mouth, but Edward, Carlisle, and Esme all greeted her. I didn't see Edward's twin, but I did meet Rose's siblings and all of their mothers as well. Their snide remarks made it clear that they knew exactly who I was.

"We finally get to meet Bella, savior of the company," said Rose's mother nastily.

"A woman of _many _talents, so we hear," said Edward's mother, her voice laced with innuendo.

These were Caius's sisters and they were every bit the harpies he'd told me they were.

"Your kids are lucky to be working with my daughter," Renée said, matching their arrogant tones. "They don't come any tougher than my Bella."

Rose's mother quickly narrowed her eyes at my mom, who did the same right back at her and I knew it was time to go.

"It was nice meeting you all," I said as I hastily took my mom's hand and led her away.

"Fucking jealous hags," Renée said when we were out of earshot.

"Their kids don't behave much better," I replied. "Let's get to the table, and then we can get you a drink to calm down."

We didn't need to go far because our table was just a few down from Caius's family. Angie immediately ran up to us, exchanging a loud high-pitched greeting with Renée.

"Okay, I look like a nun compared to you two," said Angie. She wore a pair of tight black slacks, heels, and a sparkly, festive sweater.

"You can't help it; you grew up with Daddy Reverend," Renée said bluntly as Angie and I cracked up laughing.

We were quickly surrounded by Alice, Jasper, Ben, Gianna, and Liam and introductions were made all around. I looked for Emily and found her sitting at the table, smiling at the scene.

"You look great," I said as I leaned down and gave her a quick hug. She was wearing her hair up again and even had on makeup. Like Angie, she wore a pair of tight slacks and a sparkly sweater.

"Thanks," she said. "Is that your mom? She looks so young."

"That's her, come and meet her." I pulled Emily over to the rowdy group. Anywhere else we'd be making quite a scene but so many other conversations were going on around the room that not many people noticed us. Well, almost.

"Thank you all for coming," Rose said a little too loudly as she stepped onto the stage and glared down at our little group. "Now that everyone's here, we'll have a brief cocktail period. Then, we'll start our program promptly at 7:30."

My mom went with Angie and Liam to the bar to get a drink and I stopped for a moment to talk to Gianna and Alice.

"Am I making too much of the fact that our table is front and center, right in front of the stage?" I asked.

"No," Alice replied. "I thought the same thing. That bitch is up to something."

"I hate to say it, but I think so too," Gianna said. "She's been watching you since you stepped in the door. Their whole family has really."

I groaned. "I can't worry about it," I said. "I'm gonna go get some grub."

I made my way over to the buffet tables, stopping along the way to speak to people here and there.

"She would give my clumsy ass a white dress to wear," I mumbled as I carefully loaded my plate with meatballs and other food. I'd just turned to go get a glass of punch when someone walked up beside me, _very_ much into my personal space.

I turned abruptly and came face to face with Edward's twin, Anthony. They were most definitely identical, except this one had longer, messier hair than Edward's but it was that same bronze color. He'd positively bathed in cologne and I instantly took a step back.

"Mmmm, look at those legs," he said. "My uncle always did know how to pick a good side piece."

"Maybe he did," I replied sharply, "but I'm not one of them."

I quickly stomped away, noticing that Edward had come over to intercept his brother before he could follow me. I made it to the drink table, and was debating whether to get something stronger than punch when someone else walked up behind me.

"_Honey_, you and your mama are _slayin' _these uptight bitches in here," said a man I didn't know. He snapped his fingers as his eyes perused every inch of my outfit.

I cracked up laughing.

"Uh, thanks, I think," I replied with a grin. "I don't know who you are, but I can already tell I like you."

"I'm Randall, Jared's partner," he said.

"Nice to meet you," I replied.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said.

So Jared from marketing was gay. He was always meticulous in his appearance, but I had no idea, not that it mattered. They certainly made a striking couple. Randall was slight in stature, whereas Jared was built a lot like Emmett. Randall was almost as pale as me, with big brown eyes and very closely cut blond hair. He was dressed entirely in black, except for red suede shoes.

"Just so you know, I can't take credit for my outfit," I said with a big grin, "my mommy dressed me."

He laughed quite loudly. "Mama's got good taste. I see those red bottoms."

I assumed he was referring to my shoes because that's where he looked. I had no idea what he meant, but Renée loved to spend Phil's money, and he liked her to look good, so I assumed that these shoes were somehow important... and expensive.

"I was hoping I'd get to meet you," Randall continued. "Jared told me all about you. Before you came along, he thought he might lose his job. I'm only working part-time, so I need you to keep waving your magic wand over ATS. I need Daddy to keep bringing that paycheck home, okay?"

I laughed so hard that I had to bend over, almost dropping my plate in the process. "You're kind of sassy," I said with a smirk. "Isn't that a stereotype?"

It was his turn to howl with laughter.

"Jared said you tell it like it is, girlfriend," he replied. "I'm sassy and proud of it."

He snapped his fingers again, which caused me to crack up.

"Do I want to know what he's over here saying to you?" a flustered-looking Jared asked as he suddenly appeared beside us.

"He's being his fabulous and amazing self," I said as Randall grinned. Jared looked relieved as he turned to me and smiled.

"Bella, I haven't had a chance to say, but you look incredible," Jared said sincerely. "When I pointed you out, I didn't think he'd come bother you."

"He saved me from running into Edward's asshole brother again," I said. "He's no bother at all."

I talked to Jared and Randall so long that my food got cold. When I left them, I ditched that plate and made a new one. I normally didn't like to waste food, but as it was Rose's party, I didn't mind so much.

I turned to go back to my seat, and that's when I came face to face with James, the supercreep from I.T.

"Holy fuck! Who knew you were hiding those legs?" he said as he leered at me.

"Unless you wanna wear these meatballs," I said menacingly, "you better back off!"

He was a dirty, greasy asshole on the best of days, but with a few drinks in him, he was clearly worse. Thankfully, he winked at me and walked away without further incident.

"He's really skeevy," said a young woman who'd just walked up to the table. She didn't look much older than a teenager.

"He is," I said, "he's all bark and no bite though. I'm Bella, by the way."

"Oh, _you're_ Bella," she said brightly. "I'm Rachel, Seth's girlfriend. He talks about you all the time."

"Good things, I hope," I said.

"Oh yeah," she replied with a chuckle. "He's really excited about getting the chance to be a sales rep."

"He's doing great," I said. "Where are you guys sitting? I haven't seen Seth."

I followed her to their table where I spoke to Seth, as well as Heidi, Peter, and their guests who were sitting nearby. I finally made it back to our table, where Renée, already on her second drink, sat talking to Gianna.

I ate, talked, and laughed with the others, happy that my mom seemed to be getting along with Emmett's family. I checked my phone and sure enough he'd texted me to see how things were going. I told him 'so far, so good'.

At 7:30 exactly, Edward, Carlisle, and Esme - - wearing a very loose-fitting dress - - followed Rose up onto the stage. She immediately got on the microphone and called the room to attention.

"If everyone could be seated please," Rose said. "On behalf of the ATS executive team, we want to thank you again for coming. This is the first year we've done something like this and, frankly, it was warranted. This is the best year we've ever had, and things are really looking up at ATS."

I looked over at Caius who was watching her with a curious expression on his face.

"We'd be nothing without great employees like you. To show our appreciation, we have a few gifts for some of the associates who've been most instrumental in making this our best year ever." Rose looked directly at me.

That's when I knew exactly what her little game was: every person at ATS would get a gift, except for me, and probably Caius.

"Ooh, I know you'll get something good," Renée said eagerly. "I talked to a bunch of people here, and everybody told me what a great job you've done."

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Twenty bucks says I don't get anything and neither does Caius," I whispered.

Carlisle, Esme, and Edward stood by a table up on the stage handing out gift bags or envelopes as Rose called each and every employee up. A few people - - like Jasper, Alice, Heidi, and Laurent - - received larger gifts for special achievement.

"Our last gift goes to our newest employee, Gianna McCarty," Rose said sweetly, looking directly at me again. "She hasn't been here long, but she keeps our meetings running on schedule and the rooms in impeccable order. Thank you, Gianna."

Gianna sighed but walked up to get her gift. Just like I thought, every employee's name had been called except for me and except for Caius.

I noticed Esme, Carlisle, and Edward huddled together whispering before I looked over at Caius. He looked back at me with a murderous expression on his face. His sisters were staring at me also, openly laughing.

"That is total bullshit that you didn't get anything," said Emily suddenly, looking as angry as I'd ever seen her.

"Complete and _total_ bullshit," Liam agreed.

"I can't fucking believe this," my mom said as she tossed back the rest of her drink.

"That's it for the gifts," Rose said, looking delighted with herself as she stared right down at me. "Please enjoy the band and have some dessert as you enjoy the rest of the evening. This was our first holiday party, not the last, count on that. Thank you."

Members of a band I hadn't even seen started setting up on stage as gasps and murmurs could be heard all around the room. It felt like every eye in the ballroom was on me, which was why Rose sat me here in the first place, I was sure of it. My mom pulled out her cell phone and started typing furiously before she suddenly stood up.

"I just texted Phil to come get us," she said as she snatched her purse off the table. "I know you like this job, and if I stay here one more second, I promise you I'll say something to that snotty bitch that'll get you fired."

She stomped off; the sound of her heels clicking on the floor echoed throughout the eerily silent space. Even the band members setting up didn't seem to know quite what to do, sensing the tension in the air.

I didn't know what to do either, but I certainly wasn't going to give Rose and the harpies the satisfaction of making a scene. But I was sick of everybody staring at me, so I stood and walked to the buffet table, where I made a big production of putting an assortment of desserts on a plate. At least people started talking again; I could hear their whispers behind me.

I lingered at the buffet table as I tried to convince myself that the way I'd been slighted was no big deal. But that was a lie; my feelings were hurt. Big time.

It wasn't that I needed recognition. But if they were going to recognize people for achievement at ATS, then Caius and I should have been the first people to get something. This was _beyond_ messed up, but hadn't I known Rose would pull some shit like this?

I heard footsteps behind me and I knew whose they were without turning around.

"I'm sorry I ever dragged you into this mess," Caius said. I looked up at him and there was a wild look in his eye that I didn't like. Surrounded by his family, I was sure he'd been drinking much more than he should have been.

"Don't be," I replied. "This is the best job I've ever had."

I wanted to add that if it hadn't been for this job, I would have never met Emmett, but I kept that bit to myself.

"Bella, there is no excuse for them making a point of congratulating and rewarding other people and not acknowledging everything you and I have done," he said, looking angrier by the second. "Mark my words. Those little shits will be sorry they did this."

"Caius, I came expecting nothing, and I leave with nothing. It's just not a big deal."

He seemed to have stopped listening to me as he glared over at his family. All of them were looking back at us, except for Esme who hung her head.

Thankfully, Dora came over before he said something he'd regret.

"C'mon, Cai," she said. "Let's go home." He put his drink down on the table, gave me a sad smile, and walked away with her.

I returned to my table and sat my plate in the center of it.

"Dessert anyone?" I asked, trying to make a joke, but it came out sounding rather flat.

"I don't know how you all work at this place," Angie said, shaking her head. "I couldn't handle all this tension."

"Not getting you and Caius something was_ so _fucked up," Ben said, looking disgusted.

"It was the definition of petty," Gianna said as she shook her head.

"I'm proud of you for not making a scene," Jasper said. "It makes them look even smaller than they already do."

"I'm not surprised," I said. "I always knew she'd do something like this from the moment she mentioned the party."

I tried to sit there like nothing had happened but I just couldn't. My thoughts and feelings were all over the place.

"I'm gonna leave now," I said to everyone at the table. As they quietly said their goodbyes, I told them all that I was okay, even though I really wasn't. I wouldn't go charging over to the Cullen tables to make a scene, but I knew one way I could hurt Rose like she'd hurt me.

I stood, picked up my purse, and turned to face the Cullen tables, where they were still watching my every move.

The room went silent again as I stared at Rose and she glared back at me.

"I'm leaving," I said loudly and clearly as I looked directly into her perfect, nasty face. "Emmett's on his way to pick me up."

That bitch's face went five shades redder as I swiftly turned on my heel and clicked my way out of the ballroom too.

She might have the upper hand at ATS - - it was her company after all - - but she'd _never_ have Emmett.

I raced into the bathroom to try and calm down. When I felt as collected as I could, given the circumstances, I got my coat and walked through the lobby. New Business and Phil were already outside by the time I reached them. Surprisingly, they were talking with my mom - - and Caius - - as Dora stood awkwardly nearby.

"Can't take you anywhere," said Phil, trying to make me laugh. Too bad it didn't work.

"You okay?" New Business asked as he hugged and kissed me.

"Yeah," I said, though it was clear from my voice that I was not.

"I knew some shit like this would go down," he said. "That's why we didn't go that far away."

Suddenly, many voices rang out from behind us. Most everyone had heard me mention Emmett's name, and what appeared to be most of the company, and their guests, had come outside to see him.

I hurried to go around to the driver's side of Emmett's car, which was parked almost directly in front of the door. None of the valets seemed to mind. I climbed in to the seat behind the driver's seat so nobody could see me cry. In a second, New Business was mobbed, and he talked and laughed with all of his former ATS buddies.

I hated to shed even one tear for that bitch, but I did have feelings and they were _very _hurt right now.

Angie, Gianna, Emily, and Alice found me as a flood of tears poured down my face.

"I'll be fine," I said shakily as I wiped my face and sniffed.

"Everybody's leaving now," Angie said as she held my hand and rubbed it. "The party's basically over."

"You missed the good part though," Gianna said. "As soon as you left, Carlisle and Edward asked Rose why there were no gifts for you or Caius. Their whole family started arguing."

"You got her right where it hurt too," Alice said. "She's always had the hots for Emmett."

Suddenly, with an audience of people who agreed with her and the added impetus of a few drinks, Renée started up again.

"That was the pettiest shit I've ever seen in my life," she yelled angrily as many people agreed with her and added their own commentary.

"Oh god," I said with a sob. I _really _didn't want a scene.

"If my daughter's so worthless to the company why the fuck do they keep her around working her to death?" my mom shouted toward the direction of the lobby, where most of Caius's family - - including Rose, Carlisle, and Edward - - stood as they watched the scene outside through the glass wall. Their mothers looked furious, but they kept their asses inside.

"Because they're fucking puppets," yelled Caius, also emboldened by alcohol.

"Can you get her?" I said to Angie when my mom yelled something else. "You know how she gets. I don't want this to get ugly."

Angie nodded and ran off toward my mom. Emmett quickly said his goodbyes to the crowd. He walked over and leaned into the car around Emily, Alice, and Gianna who were quietly trying to console me as I sobbed.

"Okay, now I'm fucking pissed," he yelled, his expression darkening as he watched me. "I didn't know you were this upset. I'm gonna say something."

Thankfully, Emily grabbed his arm before he could walk away. "You calm down," she said sternly to her brother. "If you go starting a fight, Liam will get in it too, and we don't need that."

"No we _don't_," Gianna said in agreement.

"Can we just go home? Please?" I asked as I wiped my face.

New Business stared at me, sighed, then got in and loudly gunned the engine to signal that we were leaving.

"We'll see you this weekend I'm sure," Gianna said as she moved back to shut the door.

"You were great, Bella," Emily said. "Look at her over there now. You made a total fool out of her by not making a scene."

I did look over at Rose who watched the entire scene outside, completely ignoring her date who was clearly trying to talk to her. The party she'd so carefully planned was inside, yet most all of the guests stood _outside_ of it, laughing and talking. Additionally, her uncle and my mom were cursing her name to hell, and now everyone at the company knew that there were some major issues going on in her family. Most of all, though, she now had confirmation that Emmett - - whom she still couldn't take her eyes off of - - was with_ me_, not her.

Yeah, this little stunt completely blew up in her face.

Angie and Phil finally dragged Renée into the car as Caius went back inside and started a new shouting match with his sisters.

Everyone waved as we pulled away. Emmett slowed the car when we'd only gone a few feet; I soon saw why when he rolled his window down to talk to Liam who was standing further down the sidewalk with several guys I didn't know; they'd probably worked with him at Eclipse.

"Bet we won't be invited back here," Liam yelled, laughing his ass off.

"I'm so glad I wasn't in there," Emmett said as he laughed too. "I'll see you tomorrow."

We waved and finally began the drive home.

The entire ride, the stupid tears would not stop falling from my eyes. Emmett was making me nervous because he kept watching me in the rearview mirror when his eyes should have been on the road.

At least Renée left me alone; she knew that when I got like this, I just had to cry myself out. She kept New Business and Phil laughing by giving crude, yet hilarious, descriptions of each of Caius's family members.

"They certainly don't seem to know how to keep good employees," Phil said.

"That's because they're spoiled fucking brats," Emmett said angrily.

That got Renée started again, and I leaned my head against the seat and shut my eyes. I wished I could go to sleep and pretend this night never happened. I couldn't understand why I was so upset. I mean, okay, I didn't get a gift. Big deal.

But it _was_ a big deal because of the bigger picture: tonight was an ugly reminder that ATS was in fact Rose and Edward's company, and they could do whatever they wanted. Which meant that I was in very real danger of losing the job that I loved.

Rose made it clear tonight that she wanted me gone and Caius too. It was only a matter of time before they found a way to get rid of me or push me out. Emmett had sense enough to line up a job and get out before they forced him. Clearly, I needed to do the same.

And what was worse, I'd dragged Gianna into this mess of a company too. That started a fresh round of tears.

"Are you waiting for me to carry you? I will if you need me to," Emmett said.

I'd shut my eyes again and was so deep in thought I didn't realize we were back home. Renée and Phil had already gone inside and New Business had my car door open as he leaned in and watched me.

"No," I said as I wiped my eyes. "Sorry."

He helped me step out and kept his hand on my back the whole way into the apartment. Thankfully, Renée and Phil were already in their room, so I headed straight to ours. Emmett sat on the edge of the bed and watched me in silence as I cried and changed into my nightshirt. Only when I went into the bathroom to wipe off my makeup did he follow me and talk.

"It's_ killing _me seeing you like this," he said. "They're not worth it."

"I know," I said as I carefully removed my makeup. "I'm just worried about my job now. Rose made it pretty clear that me and Caius are on her shit list. He might be the CEO, but I bet they could find a way to get rid of him if they wanted. I didn't think I'd have to start looking for a job so soon. And now I brought Gianna into it too."

He sighed and raked his hands through his hair as more tears ran down my face.

"Gianna's happy she got that job," he said. "Don't you go feeling guilty about her. She knew what she was getting into. It's a means to an end. She's not planning to stay there her whole life. You did a good thing for her."

I nodded and wet my washcloth, still feeling like shit.

When I climbed into bed and turned out the lights, my mind was so scattered I couldn't even think about going to sleep.

"Bella talk to me," Emmett said as he caressed my arm. "I don't like seeing you like this."

I sighed. "I knew she would do something to me at the party," I said. "I knew it."

"I hoped she wouldn't, but I knew she would too," he said.

"The more I think about it, it just upsets me," I admitted.

"It should because you didn't deserve that shit," he said. "You're a fucking good person and you've done a lot of good there."

"It was so petty," I said. "What the fuck did I ever do to her that she felt the need to embarrass me like that? If she hates me that bad, or thinks about me that much, I wonder if I should keep working there."

"Rose is a spoiled little bitch used to getting everything she wants," New Business said. "Now that shit's going good, she wants to fuck over the people who made it that way. That's the same shit Edward did to me after I brought all the big clients in."

"Yeah," I replied as he draped his arm across my stomach.

"You gotta wonder what kind of person would plan a whole fucking party, just to make some kind of fucked-up point," he said.

"I don't think that was the whole point of the party," I said, doubting my own words.

Emmett gave a bitter chuckle. "Okay, keep telling yourself that," he said. "I don't think she'll stop fucking with you until you leave. I probably shouldn't say that but ..."

"It's the truth," I said.

"I'm not telling you what to do, or saying you should quit over this," he said. "But take it from me, you'll never feel the same about ATS after this. And if you do leave, we'll be fine. Don't think you have to stay there and be miserable because of money. You don't. That's all I'm gonna say about it."

He didn't say another word after that, and soon he was asleep. I couldn't sleep at all but I thought over the night and I thought about what he said.

I was no quitter, so I wasn't going to walk in on Wednesday and turn in my notice or anything. But for the first time since I'd started at ATS, I felt strongly that it would be in my best interests to start looking for another job. And that thought saddened me a great deal.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this emotion-filled 'double' chapter! As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 11**

* * *

**BPOV **

"_... not ready for more just yet."_

"_That sounds like some shit she told you to say."_

"_It's how we both feel. We're gonna do what _**we**_ want, not what _**you**_ want."_

_Great. _Just _great._ It was bad enough that I hadn't been able to fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning after the disastrous holiday party. But I finally had drifted off, and now the rising voices of Emmett and Renée had woken me up.

I yawned, stretched, and slowly sat up in an effort to collect myself. Then, I stood and carefully opened the door so I could listen in as their conversation continued. I wanted to hear what she had to say to him that she wouldn't say to me.

"... see that you love my daughter," Renée said, "but you don't know her like I do. She may not think she wants to get married. But you have to make her see that she's wrong."

"It's really not up to you to say whether what she feels is right or wrong," New Business said. "She knows exactly what she wants. We both do. We're not going to let our parents push us. I know that's not what you want to hear. But you need to accept it."

"She's already gotten to you," Renée snapped. "I thought you had a little more backbone in that giant body."

"You need to calm down," New Business said angrily.

And that was my cue to enter the conversation. I made my way down the hall without concern for how I must look having just woken up. Those two had seen me in all states of undress.

"If you're going to get married eventually, why not just do it soon?" Renée shouted. " You have your whole lives to get to know each other better. I'll take care of everything. I just need you to..."

"Emmett told you how he feels," I said loudly, my voice still gravelly from sleep, when I reached the end of the hall. "What _we _need_ you _to do is leave us alone about it."

Renée rolled her eyes at me, sighed dramatically, and plopped down at the dining room table.

"Hope we didn't wake you up," New Business said when I walked over and hugged him.

"_You _didn't," I grumbled.

"I want you to get married and have the wedding of your dreams," Renée said, her voice still much too loud for my tastes. "What's so wrong about that?"

"You want the wedding of _your _dreams," I replied. "I'm telling you right now, mom. Don't nag us about getting married the whole time you're here. When we decide we're ready, we'll let you know."

She stood and glared at me. "I'll talk to you when you're a little more rested. You're always crabby in the morning. You're just like your father."

"I know," I replied with a smirk that seemed to make her madder. "I'm always like Charlie when you're mad at me."

She stomped down to the guest room and slammed the door.

"I'm sure our neighbors will be glad when our mothers learn how to stop with the door slamming," I said.

New Business, wearing his workout gear, sat at one of the barstools and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"Don't be," I said. "I told you she'd try to get to you, just like Maggie did me. Where's Phil? He couldn't have slept through all that noise."

"Your mom sent him out for coffee," he said, then he lowered his voice. "She started in on me as soon as I got back from the gym. She's been going on for almost fifteen minutes. I tried to be quiet so we didn't wake you, but she just didn't care."

I laughed. "There's a shock. My mom not caring about anybody else's feelings."

New Business chuckled. "I'm glad you and I talked," he whispered. "It wasn't so bad standing up to her because I knew we were on the same page."

I nodded, then yawned. "Exactly," I replied.

"Why don't you go back to bed?" he remarked. "You look beat."

"Thanks," I said, rolling my eyes, as he snorted. "No, It's almost ten. I need to get up and get ready for the day. We still have one more holiday party to go to, don't forget."

"I haven't," he said with a big grin. "I can't wait to show you off to the people I work with."

I grinned back at him, grabbed his arm, and led him down the hall. "C'mon," I said. "I could use some help in the shower."

* * *

"You, sir, are completely useless," I said to Emmett as I dressed, frustrated by my shower that had only involved showering.

He watched me as he lay on his stomach, cracking up laughing. "I'm sorry," he said. "I can'tdo it with your mom in the house."

"Wimp," I said as I climbed on the bed beside him just as my phone rang. I almost ignored it, but I thought it might be Charlie. It wasn't.

"It's Caius," I said to Emmett, my eyes wide with shock.

"Oh shit," he said as he stared back at me.

"Good morning, Bella," said Caius as I answered the call. "I'm very sorry to bother you on the weekend, but I really need to talk to you. Is now a good time?"

I sat up on the bed. "Sure. What's going on?"

"I don't mean to impose, but I need to talk to you in person," he replied. "Would you mind if I stopped by?"

"Here?" I asked as New Business raised his eyebrow.

"Yes," he replied. "I'm sorry, but it's very important and I'm short on time today."

"Um, hold on," I replied. I didn't mind him coming over, but I wasn't sure New Business would feel the same way. I muted the call and asked him.

"He wants to come over here to talk to me. Do you mind? He says it's important."

"It's your place," he said tightly. "Fine with me."

"It's _our_ place," I said as I leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips, which effectively appeased him.

"Caius, now's good," I said when I unmuted the call. "Let me give you my ..."

"I have your address," he said. "I'll see you soon. Thank you, Bella."

When I ended the call, Emmett stood to finish getting dressed. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked.

"Of course not," I said.

"I gotta admit, I'm curious," he said. "Especially after all the shit that went down at the party."

We walked to the dining room where Phil had returned and sat drinking coffee at the table with my mom.

"I hope you're a little more agreeable now," Renée said as she watched me warily.

I walked over and planted a loud kiss on her cheek, which got her laughing like I wanted.

"It's not my fault you're pushy and overbearing," I said. "I've warned Emmett."

"You're lucky you're my only child," she said, laughing. "If I had another one, you would _not_ be my favorite."

I cracked up laughing, as did Emmett and Phil.

"Phil, just to get you up to speed, mom sent you away so she could bully Emmett into marrying me," I said as Renée rolled her eyes and Emmett laughed.

Phil shook his head, smirking all the while. "It's cute how you know how your mother is, but you still have hope for the best."

I cackled, as did Emmett, while Renée grinned and slapped Phil on the arm.

"I want you married," she said unabashedly. "I worried that maybe you two were moving a little fast, but I know you don't do things rashly. Now that I see you two together, I know it's the real deal. I won't stop until I get my wedding."

"_Your _wedding," said Emmett slowly. The dubious expression on his face as he stared at her sent me and Phil into another fit of laughter.

"Yes," Renée said without a hint of shame. "I'll be planning your entire wedding. I'll talk to your mother when I meet her but that's how it's going to be."

Phil and I were absolutely cackling while Emmett looked at Renée with great concern. When I settled down, I got us back on topic.

"Unfortunately, she's dead serious," I said as Emmett shook his head. "But she'll just have to wait. It could be years before we get married, if ever."

Renée's face fell completely when I said that. She immediately started to protest, but I interrupted her.

"I'm serious, so let it go," I said firmly. "Besides, right now, we have more important issues. Caius is on his way over."

That distracted her; she gasped.

"You'll probably hear from the other executives too before you go back to work Monday," Phil said.

"We're off Monday for Christmas Eve," I said, "but I have a feeling you're right. I'm sure they'll say something to me before Wednesday when we go back."

"What are you planning to do?" Phil asked. "You were so upset last night I didn't ask. Have you given it any thought?"

"I'm not quitting," I said. "But I do think I need to start looking for something else. Caius told me that it's really Rose and Edward's company. And after last night, it's pretty clear that they, at least Rose, want me gone. The handwriting's on the wall."

"They better not try to fire you," Renée said angrily.

"They're gonna have to do something to try and save face," Emmett said. "Everybody who worked there before Bella knows how different it is now. If they got rid of Bella, it would seriously fuck up morale."

"I think the others will make Rose apologize," Phil said. "It's what I'd do."

It occurred to me that Phil was a great person to talk to; he owned several franchises and dealt with staff issues regularly. Too bad he'd already moved on.

"What's the ETA on some more Christmas cookies?" he asked.

"You did _not _already eat all the ones I made for you," I said incredulously. I stood and looked into the _empty_ container of cookies that I'd made just for him. Not only were his gone, but a quick peek into the Santa cookie jar showed that the others I'd made were gone too.

"I missed your baking. I couldn't help it," he whined.

"Oh just make him some more," Renée said. "I'll help him work off the extra calories."

Emmett choked a bit on the bagel he was eating while Phil and Renée laughed.

I obliged because I'd been planning to make more cookies anyway. But just to mess with Phil, I complained the whole time I made the dough. He didn't care, and watched me with a smile

"I want all red sprinkles this time," Phil demanded when he saw me pull out the green sprinkles first.

"You'll eat what I make and like it," I said before I pulled out the red jar which I was going to use anyway.

"That's her real attitude, Emmett," said Phil as we all laughed. "Don't buy that nice girl facade. Get used to it."

Cauis knocked on the door just as I'd finished the shortbread cookie dough and put it into the refrigerator. New Business let him in and Caius greeted everyone while I washed my hands.

"We'll just go to the room," Phil said.

"But talk loud so we can hear," Renée whispered to me.

Caius and Emmett sat on the sectional, quietly talking when I entered the living room. My weary-looking boss had dressed casually for him, in a thick cable-knit sweater, slacks, and loafers.

"Hi, Caius," I said as I sat down too.

"Good morning," he replied with a smile. "I am sorry to bother you at home. I know it's inappropriate, but it's very important."

"I'll let you have some privacy," New Business said, standing to leave the room.

"Thank you," Caius said. "And Emmett, I meant what I said last night. I'm very sorry for how I treated you when you left. You deserved better."

"Thanks," he replied before he turned and left the room.

"Do I want to know how you found out where I live?" I asked Caius.

He smiled. "I'm a man of means," he replied. "I have my ways. But actually, I just pulled up your résumé."

"Oh," I replied with a chuckle. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No," he replied. "I'm fine."

"I have to ask," I said, "does Dora know you're here?" The last thing I needed right now was his wife showing up at my door too.

"Yes," he replied. "She's not happy, but she understands."

"She doesn't really think you and I have anything going on, does she?" I asked. "I don't care about the rest of your family, but I hope your wife knows it's not true."

"She knows the truth," he replied. "She's stopped by the office enough to see for herself, trust me."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "I've never seen her there once."

"She's seen you," he said with a raised eyebrow as we laughed. "Tanya's responsible for feeding most of that garbage about us to my sisters, and they tell Dora."

"Tanya from sales?" I asked. "She knows your family?"

"Oh yes," he replied. "Tanya's family is well-off like ours. She grew up with the kids; they went to all the same schools. Last year, her father threatened to cut her off if she didn't get a job. The kids brought her into ATS. She's actually good at sales though; better than I thought she'd be."

I shook my head. Tanya, queen of the Bitch Brigade, had been brought in by the chiefs. Not surprising at all.

"Let me get right to it because I don't have much time," Caius said, pulling me from my thoughts. "I'm leaving ATS. I've resigned as CEO. I'm done, Bella."

"Caius!" I said, placing my hand over my mouth in surprise.

I knew last night had bothered him more than me but I hadn't expected this.

"What will you do? You said retirement didn't suit you."

"I'm thinking of doing some consulting when we get back," he said. "Financial consulting, like I used to do."

"When you get back?" I asked.

"From Europe," he replied. "Dora's wanted to go and spend some real time there but I've been too busy with work. That's not the case anymore. We're leaving tonight."

My stomach felt like a two-ton boulder had settled into it. I couldn't imagine ATS without Caius. And not only wouldn't he be at work, he wouldn't even be in the country. Would I have a job without him?

"Caius, this seems so sudden," I said. "Last night was so... dramatic. Are you sure this is what you want? Maybe you should give it a few days."

"I've thought about distancing myself from my family for some time," he said. "I've always believed that all the pressure from my siblings helped kill both of my parents. I won't let them kill me too. It would make them too happy."

I laughed before I realized what he was really saying. "You're leaving your family too?" I asked. "Like, never to speak to them again?"

"Essentially," he said. "I'll look out for Carlisle, and the baby. Edward too because he's not like the others. But as far as I'm concerned, the rest of them mean nothing to me from now on. I've had enough."

"That seems so severe," I said.

Caius sighed and rubbed his fingers over his tired eyes.

"Last night was the culmination of all the shit my family has done to me since Father died," he said. "I had a long talk with Carlisle and Edward this morning, and they agree."

"Then why did they sit back and let you get humiliated at the party?" I asked with a bitter edge to my voice.

"They didn't know," he said as I rolled my eyes. "I didn't believe it either, but Carlisle showed me the receipt for the gift he'd bought for me."

I gasped and my mouth fell open.

"Edward said that Esme bought one for you too," he said. "They claim that both gifts were at the party on that table when the night began. They only realized that our gifts were gone when Rose made such a production of announcing the last gift."

"Oh my god," I said. "Why? Why would she do something like that to you? I know she hates me, but I always thought she respected you."

"I can't tell you how disappointed I am in Rose," he said sadly before his eyes hardened. "But don't you believe for a second that this was all her doing. You're right: she's never taken to you. But she wouldn't have come up with the idea to do this to_ me. _My sisters did that. But Rose is an adult, and she could have stood up to them, but she didn't."

"You said you talked to Carlisle and Edward, have you talked to Rose?" I asked.

He shook his head. "She's at her mother's right now and they're not talking. My sisters are mad at me for ruining Rose's big night."

"Un-fucking-believable. And me too, I'm sure," I replied.

"My dear, they're mad at you for existing," he said with a bitter chuckle. "They'd heard all about you from Rose and Tanya. They wanted to believe that you were just some little fuck toy I'd put on the payroll who had no real pull in the company. You ruined that little fantasy."

He smiled at me and I couldn't help but grin back in return.

"I wish you could have seen yourself last night," he said. "You were the picture of a beautiful, confident young woman. You worked the room, talking and laughing with people from all the teams, not just your friends. It was clear that you're well regarded by almost everyone. Rose and Edward went around to all the tables before you arrived and believe me, they were not received the way you were. That was too much for my sisters to handle."

He still grinned at me, but I shook my head.

"I didn't do anything to make them, or Rose, hate me like that," I said. "I'm not going to quit, but I don't know how we'll move past this. If they hate me that much, they'll keep fucking with me until I leave. I'm tough, but I'm not sure how much more I can take."

"So you're staying then?" he asked.

I nodded and he grinned, looking incredibly pleased for some reason.

"The way they treated you, I thought you might say 'fuck it all'," he said. "Carlisle and Edward are convinced you won't be back. They don't know what to do."

I snorted with laughter. "Do they want me back? They've treated me just like Rose at work."

He sighed. "For Carlisle and Edward, the issue has always been me bringing you in behind their back," he said. "But they can't deny the fact that you're very good for ATS. Your value has nothing to do with bringing in the actual money, but it has everything to do with keeping the team happy, strong, and working together. That's incredibly important."

"With you leaving, what does this mean for the company?" I asked. "It's my livelihood, and everyone else's too. I don't want it to tank."

I thought of Gianna and Jared, and so many others who needed their jobs.

"Edward and Rose will have no choice but to keep ATS going and successful to bankroll the family," he said with a hard look.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When I say I'm done with them all, I mean in every way," Caius replied. "I'm having papers drawn up as we speak to remove myself as conservator over the family's money."

He'd told me last night they'd be sorry they did this and apparently he meant that shit.

"Damn, you mean business," I said.

"I do," he replied. "Now, my sisters and brother, the kids too, will have access to all of their shares."

I laughed. "From everything you've told me about them, they'll run through that before the ink dries on the paperwork."

He grinned broadly at me. "Exactly," he said. "Mark my words, without me to ration them, they'll spend every penny of that money completely in a year or two."

"It sounds like you've thought this through," I said. "I hate that it all got so ugly with your family."

"Last night, they went too far," he said. "There would be no ATS without me. It may have been Rose and Edward's idea, but I've put a lot of blood and sweat into that business. For them to go out of their way to not give me credit? They completely shit on me. I'm done. Fuck them all."

I shook my head sadly. I didn't have much family, but I was close to the family I did have and they'd never do some shit like this to me.

"Like I said before, I'll always be there for Carlisle, and the baby too," he said. "But besides Edward, the others are dead to me."

I shivered a bit at his cold words, but he had to do what was best for him.

"I appreciate you coming to tell me face to face," I said. "Please keep in touch with me."

"I will," he said. "That's a promise. And like I said, I may start consulting again and I may call on you to help me write some proposals and get set up. I'd pay you, of course."

"I'll help you with whatever you need," I said. "You've been a great to me. I've learned a lot from you."

He smiled. "I've come to think of you as a friend," he said. "I'm sure you've realized that I don't have many."

"I didn't want to say anything," I replied with a smirk.

He chuckled. "If you ever need me for _anything_, all you have to do is ask."

"I will," I said.

"I'd better get going," he said as he checked his watch. "One last thing: I'd expect a call from Carlisle before you go back to work on Wednesday."

"I'm expecting it," I said.

"When you meet with them, my advice to you is to make them pay. Literally," he said. "I think Carlisle and Edward will do some groveling to you to make up for what happened. With me gone, and with Esme leaving, they need you to..."

"So Esme's leaving now too?" I shrieked.

"Yes," he replied. "Esme won't be back. She was _very_ upset last night, this morning too. She says she doesn't need the drama and stress anymore, not with the baby on the way. I suspect they'll ask you to officially take on most of her job."

"I've had the feeling I've already been doing most of it," I said.

"You have," he said. "I want to say one last time that I am so sorry for bringing you into this mess. That's why I felt like the least I could do was come tell you this face to face. I owed you that much."

I smiled. "Thank you," I said. "But I can't be mad about coming to work for ATS. It's where I met Emmett. I never would have met him otherwise. I love him."

He smiled warmly. "When I saw your reaction to those flowers that day, I knew you were in love," he said. "I just didn't know it was with Emmett. I didn't know who the lucky fella was."

I laughed loudly.

"I'm happy for you," he said. "For both of you."

"Thanks," I said, unable to stop grinning.

"I trust you'll tell Alice for me," he said as he stood to leave. "She's been great but I didn't have the connection with her that I had with you. I hope you'll do what you can to keep her onboard if she wants to stay."

"Definitely," I said.

"At the risk of being even more inappropriate than coming here in the first place ..." Caius said.

He opened his arms for a hug. I walked to him and embraced him without hesitation.

"Keep me posted, my dear," he said when he stepped back. "And I mean it, if you ever need _anything_, just let me know."

"I will," I said.

And with that, he left. I had no idea when I'd see him again.

Stunned, I sat back down on the sectional with my arms wrapped around my stomach. I had an overwhelming feeling of emptiness at the thought of my work life without my hyperactive boss.

"I did _not_ see that shit coming," Emmett said as he sat beside me, pulled me to him, and kissed my forehead.

My mom and Phil sat on the other side of me. The three of them made no secret of the fact that they'd been listening in to the whole conversation.

"You clearly made a very good impression on him," Renée said proudly. "He's a great person for you to know."

"She's right, kid," Phil said. "It never hurts to have friends in high places."

"Did you all go into your rooms at all?" I asked with a smirk.

"We stood still in the hall until right before he left," New Business said as they all laughed, obviously pleased with themselves.

"You wouldn't have remembered all that stuff to tell us," Phil said. "We saved you the trouble."

"You've got Carlisle and Edward over the proverbial barrel," Renée said smugly. "I can't wait until they call you."

"I can," I replied as they laughed.

* * *

"These are better than that first sorry batch," said Phil as he grabbed one of freshly baked Christmas cookies I'd just plated.

"You mean the sorry batch that you wolfed down entirely," I said as he laughed.

"They really are good," Renée said. My mom rarely ate sweets but she'd grabbed one too.

"You better make more for the others," Emmett said when he finished his third.

"Already on it," I replied as I rolled out more dough.

Minutes after Caius left, Gianna called to check on me. Of course, I'd given her a brief recap of my chat with him.

"_I've got to hear about this in person," she said. "I'll bring Maggie too. Now that the rest of us got to meet your mom, she doesn't want to wait until Christmas dinner to meet her."_

Alice called soon thereafter.

"_HOLY SHIT," she yelled when I told her about Caius. "I was only calling to see how you were after the party. I'm leaving the mall right now. I need to hear every word he said. I'm bringing Jasper."_

Angie was the last to call, and she put me on speaker so that Ben could hear when I told her about Caius leaving. They were on their way too.

My mom seemed just as caught up in all the drama of the day as the rest of us, but I knew she didn't like to sit still for long.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you wanted to do today?" I asked her. "It is the Saturday before Christmas."

"I'm here to spend time with you," she said as she reached for another cookie. "That's what I'm doing. Phil and I wanted to go see the Space Needle this weekend but I think we can do that tomorrow or maybe Wednesday."

"Let's go tomorrow," I said excitedly. "I haven't been to it yet either."

Twenty minutes later, all guests had arrived. My mom and Maggie hugged each other like they were long-lost sisters. Gianna, Alice, and Jasper - - having never visited before - - couldn't stop complimenting the apartment and decor.

"I think I'll head out for a while," Phil said once all the commotion from the introductions died down. "I'm dying to take your car out for a spin."

"You did help buy it," I replied with a chuckle as I gave him my keys.

"Don't worry," he said just before he left. "I'll be back to see you in your pretty party dress."

I rolled my eyes as I locked the door behind him.

"We're going out for a little while too," Renée said as she put on her coat, picked up her purse, and grabbed the keys to the rental car.

"Yes, we have a lot to discuss," Maggie said as she and my mom exchanged smug little grins.

New Business and I looked at each other and smirked.

"That's fine," I said. "But just remember, it doesn't matter what you two do, we're still not getting married until we're ready."

New Business and the others tried to stifle their laughs; our moms weren't so amused.

"She gets that mouth from her father, Maggie," Renée said as she shot daggers at me with her eyes. "He's a real smart ass too. You'll see when you meet him."

Everyone cracked up laughing as our moms left.

"Have they _both_ been nagging?" Angie asked. "I expected it from Renée."

"Oh yeah," New Business replied. "They've seen us together now, and they see it's serious."

"They feel like if we're going to get married eventually, we might as well do it now, or soon," I said.

"There's nothing wrong with that line of thinking per se," Ben said as Angie raised an eyebrow at me. She'd told me on the trip to Forks that he was ready to get married.

"I agree, if that's what you want," Jasper said.

"But it has to be your decision, not your parents'," Gianna said.

"Your moms couldn't be any more different if they tried," Alice said. "Emmett, yours looks sweet and grandmotherly, like Mrs. Claus. Bella, yours looks straight out of one of those _Real Housewives_ shows."

That sent all of us - - me, Emmett, Jasper, Gianna, Angie, and Ben - - into screeching fits of laughter.

"Don't let that sweet face fool you," New Business said, still chuckling. "My mom can get hard core when she wants."

"Amen to that," Gianna said with a chuckle as she munched on a Christmas cookie.

"Before we get started with the Caius stuff," I said, "is anybody hungry?"

"I've been at the mall with _someone_ since early this morning," Jasper said as Alice laughed. "I'm starving."

"Me too," Ben said. "We've been looking at cars all day."

"For you?" I asked Angie.

She nodded. "My car is done. It's dead and buried."

I wanted to press her to find out if Ben was buying her a new car, but I had hungry guests, so it would have to wait. While they made sandwiches, ate cookies, heated food in the microwave, and selected drinks, New Business and I put coasters and placements on the large coffee table in front of the sectional.

"It's nice having people over," he said shyly with a bright smile.

"It is," I replied as I returned his grin.

The evidence was starting to mount that being in a relationship and having our own space was beneficial to us both in more ways than one. The home lives we'd led prior to meeting each other had clearly been lacking, but we had our whole lives to make up for lost time.

"Let's all come in here," New Business yelled. "You won't believe this shit."

Everyone settled around the sectional, looking much happier now that they had food.

"I never expected Caius to quit," Gianna said as she sat down.

"I can't believe he came _here_," Alice said, hurrying to sit down beside me.

"Believe it," Emmett said as the room went quiet.

As they ate and drank, I told them about my conversation with Caius. I also shared much of what he'd told me about his family in the past: since all the issues in that family had been put on public display last night, I didn't feel like they were secrets anymore. When I reached the part where Tanya had been the one telling the family all the lies about me, I was surprised by who had the biggest reaction.

"This makes so much sense," Jasper said disgustedly. "Tanya had a degree, but no other qualifications at all for that job. But Edward and Rose said they wanted to give her a chance. They never said they knew her."

"She stirred up so much shit and messed up so much stuff on the sales team from the minute she got hired," Emmett said, shaking his head at some memory. "But Edward just ignored all her fuck-ups."

"At least she'll have a job," Alice said with a chuckle. "With Caius gone, I guess I'll lose mine."

"You don't seem very upset," Gianna said. She looked much more concerned than Alice.

Alice shrugged. "I definitely need a job, but I try not to stress about things that aren't in my control," she said. "Whatever happens happens. At least I met Jasper while I was there."

"Aww, how sweet," New Business said as we laughed.

"I don't think you'll be out of a job at all," Angie said. "It sounds like Caius is pretty convinced they'll keep Bella and put her in Esme's job. You can just slide over and work with Bella instead of Caius."

"That would be a party every day," Alice said with a big grin.

"Um, no it wouldn't," I replied as everyone laughed.

"If they asked you to take over Esme's job would you do it?" Gianna asked.

"Shit, you do it now," Jasper said.

"And better," said Ben.

I shrugged. "I think I would," I said. "But I'm not so sure they would ask me."

"I think they will," Emmett said. "Not just from what Caius said, but it's just common sense. The chiefs need their jobs too. It would look bad on them in the industry if the company just folded."

Angie nodded in agreement. "I have a unique perspective here because I'm the only one of you who never worked for them," she said. "Just from the outside looking in, what happened last night looked _bad._"

"Really bad," Gianna said. "Lizzie was furious about it. She said that Lauren told her that you were the one who created the extra admin job for the I.T. team. Lizzie always says that without you, she wouldn't even have a job right now. And she needs it really bad, just like me."

"I'm not saying this just because you're my best friend," Angie said. "I was talking to Jared's boyfriend and Peter's wife after you left and they felt the same way I did."

"Jared's _boyfriend_?" Alice shrieked. "My gaydar never went off with Jared. I must be slippin'."

We all tried not to laugh, really we did, but we couldn't help it and soon we were all howling with laughter.

"I didn't know either," I said with a chuckle. "Randall's great though. They seem really happy."

"It's human nature for people to talk about work when they get home," Angie said, continuing her point. "And the decent people who work there have all talked about you. Almost everybody there, the ATS people and their guests, knew you should have gotten something. It looked so petty that you didn't."

Ben nodded. "We _just _got to a point where morale was pretty good and people were really liking their jobs," he said. "Well, that's totally fucked up now. Even as arrogant as they are, the chiefs have to see that."

We talked much longer about what Caius leaving meant for the company. The others posed questions I hadn't even thought of: would they hire a CEO from outside or promote one of the chiefs? How would the clients - - especially the larger ones with whom Caius had a great relationship - - react to his departure? Would the chiefs bring more of their friends and family into the business without Caius there to stop them? Instead of promoting me, would they hire someone else to take over Esme's job?

Ben was in the middle of telling us about the company's financial shape when my phone rang.

"Be right back," I said as I stood to answer it, thinking it was Renée and that she'd gotten lost or something.

When I reached the phone, I saw a local number I didn't recognize but something in my gut told me to answer it. For the second time today, I received a shock when I answered the phone.

"Hi, Carlisle," I said a little loudly to quiet the others after he spoke. They instantly went silent.

"I hate to bother you," he said, sounding incredibly nervous, "but I need to talk to you. _We_ need to talk to you."

"I'm listening," I said a little shortly.

"I don't know how to say this," he said slowly, "but after everything that happened last night, Caius has decided to resign. Effective immediately."

"I heard," I said, not wanting to play any games. "I've spoken to him."

"Oh," he said, sounding very surprised before he cleared his throat. "Well. _Well. _Uh, the chiefs and I would like to meet with you. Preferably before we return to work on Wednesday."

I was annoyed that none of his words so far had been 'I'm sorry,' so I decided to play hardball.

"What do you need to meet with me for?" I asked. "If I'm fired, just tell me now. Don't make me come into the office to do it."

Alice gasped, then clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Oooh, she's pissed off," Angie whispered to them. "That's never a good sign."

Carlisle sighed, as if I was bothering him. "You're not fired," he said curtly. "But Edward and I would like to talk to you about moving forward from last night. You know as well as I do that it was a disaster."

"What about Rose?" I asked, not missing how he hadn't mentioned her.

He sighed again, this time sounding more tired than anything. "Bella, we just need to talk, _please._ Is it possible for you to meet us today? We can..."

"Today's not good for me at all," I said abruptly. "I could probably meet tomorrow morning sometime."

"Thank you," he said, sounding very relieved. "Shall we say 9 or 9:30?"

I chuckled to myself at his use of the overly formal "shall".

"That's a little early," I said. "10:30 would be good for me."

"That's fine," he said quickly. "Would it be too much trouble for you to come in to the office?"

"No, that's good," I said. "See you then."

"Bella," he yelled before I could end the call.

"Yes?" I replied.

"I apologize for what happened," he said quickly. "It wasn't what all of us wanted."

"Thanks," I muttered. I wasn't buying this business that Edward and Carlisle had nothing to do with what happened last night.

"I may not have wanted you brought onboard," he said. "But you've worked hard and you didn't deserve that. We'll see you tomorrow."

He ended the call before I could respond.

"You sounded mad as hell," Emmett remarked, laughing all the while. "I loved it."

"Why didn't you meet today?" Alice asked, looking much too happy by all the gossip.

"As you all keep reminding me, Emmett's party is tonight," I replied. "I'll need to start getting ready soon."

"What did he say?" Angie asked.

I quickly repeated what Carlisle had said.

"What do you think they did to Rose?" Gianna asked with a smirk.

"I don't know, but right now, I don't care," I said as I looked at the clock on the microwave. "I really should start getting ready for that party."

While Emmett remained in the living room answering Ben and Jasper's questions about his new job, I let Alice, Angie, and Gianna loose in my closet and jewelry box. Not that I had many options, but I figured they'd choose the right shoes and accessories to go with my dress. Soon, we heard much more noise and chatter from the guys in the living room: Phil was back. Renée and Maggie returned not long after he did and added to the chaos in my room.

"This is a beautiful dress," Maggie said.

"Thank you," I replied. "It seemed festive to me, like a party dress."

I really did love the dress I'd purchased on my outing with the girls a few weeks ago. It was black and made of thin stretchy fabric with lightweight silvery thread woven through which gave it a metallic sheen. The dress was belted, long-sleeved, and high-necked, falling several inches above my knees, making it a little longer than the one I'd worn yesterday.

"If you bought this to wear to the ATS party," Renée said, "what were you going to wear to Emmett's?"

"The same one," I replied. "It's washable."

"I could absolutely strangle you sometimes," Renée said as she looked at me disgustedly.

Gianna just shook her head at me, while Angie rolled her eyes.

"You are _so _ridiculous," my best friend said.

"Thank god you've met us now," Alice said, looking at me with pity.

Their reactions did nothing but make me laugh.

When they were all done being disgusted with me, my mom went to her room and returned with some of her own jewelry which opened the floor up for more debate about accessories. Even Maggie chimed in.

Normally, I would hate this sort of thing, but I enjoyed seeing them like this. It was like all aspects of my life were coming together: Angie from Forks, my mom from Phoenix, Alice from work, and Maggie and Gianna from Emmett. So, I sat quietly and smiled while they talked and fussed.

Eventually, New Business needed to get ready too which forced them to come to a consensus on what shoes, jewelry, and purse I should use. Finally, the bedroom cleared and New Business returned.

"Why so happy?" he asked. "You didn't look that eager to go last night."

"I like having everyone here," I said. "It's nice."

"I know," he said quietly. "At our place."

I smiled as he quickly turned away.

"Yes, at our place."

* * *

Because New Business worked for a real corporation and not a family-run disaster, his company's holiday party was much more of a professional event than mine. It was held in one of the large spaces at the Convention Center downtown.

We walked to the designated area for the Summit-Meyer Holiday Party and removed our coats as we stood in line to check them. While I took in the Christmas decorations all around us and tried to peek into the party which was already in full swing, Emmett - - apparently - - was taking in sights of his own.

"I never considered myself a leg man," he whispered in my ear, "but between last night and tonight, you're making me rethink my position."

"Happy to oblige," I replied. "You don't look so bad yourself."

I grinned up at him, then allowed my eyes to travel over his body. New Business wore a suit, like he always did for work, only in the spirit of the party, he chose a red, white, and green striped tie that totally looked like the pattern on a candy cane.

He smiled, then whispered again. "Last night, I didn't get to have my way with you," he said. "Maybe that changes tonight."

"But there's still the little matter of a certain mother of mine being at home," I replied with a grin.

He wriggled his eyebrows at me and smiled. "Where there's a will, there's a way."

We'd reached the front of the line and the matter was dropped... for now anyway.

"Um, wow, that's a lot of people," I said as I held Emmett's hand when we walked inside of the room.

"Yeah, our admin said there's about five hundred people coming, what with employees and guests," he said. "Some of the big wigs from the other branches are supposed to be here too."

I actually liked the size of the group. I could easily get lost in the crowd, not be on display like last night. There wasn't a stage like at the ATS party, but _Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree_ was blaring from somewhere over the noise created by the masses of people.

I held Emmett's hand as he led me through the space searching for his sales group. He spoke to one or two people along the way before he headed toward a large round table where a good number of people were already seated.

"McCarty," called a portly, balding man. He stood, looked from Emmett to me, and smiled.

"Hey, Dave," New Business replied. "This is my girlfriend, Bella Swan. Bella, this is Dave Taha, my boss."

"Nice to meet you," I replied.

We shook hands and then Emmett introduced me to the rest of the people at the table: sales reps, admin assistants for the group, and their guests as well. The sales reps on his team seemed as aggressive, for lack of a better word, as the sales team at ATS but they didn't seem anywhere near as smarmy.

"Listen, the VP for the whole western region is here," Dave said to Emmett. "I'd like you to meet him. He was very impressed that you landed that ..."

He'd already started walking when Emmett turned to me. He looked concerned that he was leaving me by myself.

"Go," I said reassuringly. "I'll be fine."

He squeezed my hand then followed his boss.

"Have a seat. We don't bite too hard," said a thin, elderly woman named Cora clutching what looked to be eggnog in her hand. She pointed to several seats to her right.

"Thanks, and good to know," I said, chuckling, as I laid my purse on the table and sat down.

"What do you, Bella?" asked Vera, a glum-looking woman about my age who said she was the assistant to both Emmett and another woman I'd been introduced to.

"I'm a professional writer," I said. "I work for Aro Technology Solutions."

A few people asked about ATS; they didn't seem to have heard of it which was amusing to me for some reason. The chiefs always acted like ATS was the end all be all, when they weren't even remotely on the level of a company like this.

I was a little leery of the women here as I talked to them - - mostly because of my experiences with some of the nastiness I'd dealt with at ATS - - but none were outwardly mean to me. If anything, they seemed eager to learn more about Emmett.

"Go get yourself some eggnog," Cora said as she patted my arm with her bony hand. "Then come back and tell us how you reeled in that big beefcake."

I cracked up laughing, as did several other women at the table. I could tell this would be a fun evening.

* * *

"This song certainly creates a certain mood after a few drinks," I said to Emmett as we slowly danced to_ Santa Baby._

"Just how many of those eggnogs did you have?" he asked with a smirk. "You better not fall asleep on me."

"No chance of that," I said as I giggled a bit. "I just had a few while I talked with your coworkers."

"I hope you didn't get all loose-lipped," he said as I laughed.

"I don't know enough about you to incriminate you," I said.

"You know more about me than anybody," he said very seriously. "And still you don't judge me. I love that. I love you."

I felt warm and tingly inside at his words and it wasn't because of the drinks I'd consumed.

"I love you too," I said softly as we gazed into each other's eyes and swayed to the sultry tune.

"I think this is the first time I've ever been dancing like this," I said.

"Me too," he said. "I think we're holding our own."

"I do too," I said. "That's because we're a fuck-awesome team."

He beamed down at me with shining eyes. There were many people dancing and while some were moving far more gracefully than us, we certainly weren't the worst couple on the floor by far.

"Feels like a real couple when we do stuff like this," he said with a shy grin that showed those dimples. I swear I almost melted into the floor.

We stayed on the floor for several more dances, even when the music picked up. When "Christmas in Hollis" by Run DMC came on, New Business seemed stunned that I knew every word.

"Are you a secret hip-hop head that I don't know about?" he asked.

"No," I replied with a chuckle. "This is Phil's favorite Christmas song. I used to hear this pretty regularly around the holidays after he moved in."

"Phil's cool," he said. "How old is he anyway? I was picturing some old dude who played golf all the time. He doesn't seem that much older than Liam."

"Phil's 39," I said. "My mom likes 'em younger."

At that Emmett guffawed, and we continued dancing to the beat of the song, laughing at ourselves in the process.

Eventually, the music stopped and the president of the branch stood at the front of the room with a wireless microphone asking everyone to be seated. She spoke at length about the successes at Summit-Meyer for the past year and shared some other news as well. When she introduced some of the executives from the regional offices and headquarters, I began to realize just how major this company was.

"I didn't know this company was so big," I whispered to New Business.

"Yeah, it's huge," he replied with a smile. I felt a surge of pride that Emmett was succeeding here; it was proof that he deserved more than what he'd been offered at ATS. Overall, he seemed completely comfortable and at ease in his new surroundings and that was all I could ask for.

I turned my attention back to the festivities: a few gag gifts were now being given out for various "achievements" like most empty soda bottles on one desk or most calendars in a single cubicle. There was much laughter and much fun; this was what a holiday party should be like.

About three hours after we'd arrived, the party began to wind down.

"I think I've put in enough face time," New Business whispered. "Ready to go?"

"Whenever you are," I replied. "This is your show."

He smirked at me, then announced that we'd be leaving. After many handshakes and goodbyes, New Business and I collected our coats, and made our way back to his car in the parking garage.

"Don't get in," he said when we reached it. "We're not going home tonight."

I _might_ have felt a little gush somewhere in my body at his words.

"Aren't you just full of surprises," I said with a huge grin.

He pulled out one of my small travel bags from the back of his SUV then closed the hatch.

"I hope you didn't funk up my nice bag with your clothes from the gym," I said as he guffawed.

"No, this is stuff for us to change into for tomorrow," he said.

"So this was preplanned," I said, tingling in excitement. "Where exactly will we be tonight?"

"At the Grand Hyatt," he said. "Are your feet okay to walk a little more in those shoes?"

"Yes," I said, touched that he'd asked. "It's close. I'll be fine."

We held hands as we walked to the hotel, both of us content to stroll along in silence. While I sat in the lobby and waited for New Business to check us in, I smiled as I thought of how my experience at his party had been the perfect counterbalance to last night's debacle.

"What's that smile for?" Emmett asked when he returned to me.

"Just happy," I said as I stood.

"Because of me?" he asked, cocking his head to the side with a devilish grin.

"Yes," I replied as we walked to the elevator. "Because of you. And by the way, you seem awfully pleased with yourself."

"I am," he replied as he continued to grin. "I almost slipped up and told you about this so many times."

I sighed. "Unfortunately, I've been so preoccupied I didn't notice a thing," I said. "Thank you. This was so sweet."

"You're welcome," he said. "You bring out my romantic side or something. I don't know."

I threw back my head and laughed. "Do we need to call our mommies and tell them we won't be home tonight?" I asked.

"No," he replied, smiling. "Mine's used to me being gone and yours was all for this when I told her about it."

Several people walked up to wait for the elevator. We rode up in silence when it arrived. I felt a ridiculous amount of excitement when we reached our floor, and then our room which featured a stunning view of the city and the Puget Sound beyond.

"This is beautiful," I said as I looked around.

"So are you," New Business said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Thank you for coming with me tonight."

His deep voice right in my ear sent chills up and down my body.

I placed my arms over his as he began kissing down my neck. "I'm kind of tired," I said. "I think I should go to bed."

"Is that what you think?" he asked, speaking lowly and seductively right against my ear again.

"Yes, it is," I said.

I was already so needy for him that my attempt at being playful fell completely flat as Emmett began guiding us toward the bed.

"If you're so tired," he replied, "how will you get your clothes off?"

"Maybe you could help?" I whispered.

"Maybe," he replied.

When we reached the bed, he released me and I turned to face him.

"Those tights can't be very comfortable," New Business said as he stared at me hungrily.

"They're not," I replied, mesmerized by his gaze. "Sometimes, they're really hard to get off."

"If you lay down, I can try to get them off," he said.

I instantly complied, sitting at the edge of the bed in front of him as I reclined until my back was flat against the sheet.

He stepped back a bit and began removing his clothes, draping them over a nearby chair. I probably should have removed mine too, but I was in a total trance as I watched his careful movements.

I convulsed at his touch when he stood before me, completely nude, lifted my right leg, and removed my shoe.

"I almost hate to take these off," he said. "You look so fucking sexy wearing them."

I said nothing and watched as he did the same to my left leg. When he removed that shoe, he kept my leg in the air and slowly began kissing the inside of my calf.

"I'm glad you wore your hair long tonight," he said between kisses. "It looks hot spread all around your head on the bed like that."

Already my eyes were rolling back in my head as a result of his words and ministrations.

Soon, he stopped the kissing and instead raised both of my legs in the air. I held them up as he reached down and pulled me forward by my thighs until my ass was just off the edge of the bed. Then, he swiftly and deftly pushed up my dress and tugged my panties and tights up to my knees.

When he knelt on the floor and licked his lips at me, someone in the room made a whimpering sort of sound. As just the two of us were present, I supposed it was me.

"Somebody's excited," he said, staring between my legs before he looked up at me and grinned.

I'd apparently lost the ability to speak, yet I managed to scream when he placed his large hands on the insides of my thighs, quickly spread them open, and lowered his head to my pulsing vagina.

Slowly, maddeningly, he licked, kissed, and sucked at me there as I gasped for air and writhed around. Suddenly, he raised his head and spread my thighs as far as my tights and panties would allow.

"That should keep you still," he said as he licked his lips and lowered his head again.

This time, he began thrusting his hot tongue inside of me. When he switched to sucking my clit, I held a pillow over my face to muffle my screams.

I eventually threw the pillow aside so that I could watch him, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open as he drove me closer and closer to climax. I was dealing with too much sensation to concentrate on any one thing. My dress felt scratchy to my sensitive skin, the underwire from my bra started to dig into my ribs, and my tights and panties felt like rope around my knees. Yet, the pain I was experiencing from my clothes was somehow enhancing the pleasure I felt from Emmett's mouth and hands.

I was close, _so so close_, to release when New Business stopped what he was doing completely.

He stood, yanked my panties and tights off completely, climbed on top of me on the bed, and quickly sank his hard cock deep within me.

I did release then, and Emmett placed his mouth over mine to muffle my rapturous screams. We kissed wildly, the taste of myself all over his mouth spurred me on as we completely gave in to one another.

"So fucking hot," he said as he thrust inside me. With my legs finally free, I wrapped them around his waist as he moved.

He slowed down his pace, yet methodically plunged on. I loved being so full with him inside me; our bodies fit so well together.

I couldn't keep my hands out of his hair and when my nails scraped along his scalp, I felt his muscles tighten a little. I moved my hands down his body, dragging my nails all over his sweaty shoulders and back. Soon, he seized up, moaned as he jerked and twitched through his release, and collapsed on top of me.

I held him as we caught our breath.

"Why is every time with you better than the last?" I asked when the power of speech returned to me.

"Cuz your body is like a drug to me or something," he said. "I can't get enough."

"Drugs are bad for you though," I said with a smirk as he looked up at me and grinned.

"You're right," he said. "Let's call you a vitamin or some shit like that. Necessary to my health."

"Vitamin B Swan," I said as he guffawed.

* * *

"That was a perfect night," I said to New Business as we pulled out of the parking garage. "Some of your best work."

"I try," he replied with a grin. "What about this morning?"

"Oh, how could I forget?" I remarked. "That breakfast was out of this world."

He laughed as he navigated his SUV through the downtown streets toward my office building.

"You can try to play dumb all you want," he replied, "but I have _much_ better memories from this morning than breakfast."

"Okay, okay, don't get pouty," I said. "You were great this morning too."

"Thank you, vitamin," he replied as we cracked up laughing.

Even with all the traffic caused by the Christmas shoppers, we made it to the building in no time.

"Call me as soon as you're done with the dipshits," he said as I laughed. "I'll meet up with your mom and Phil and we'll come get you."

"I will," I said as I leaned over to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said.

I couldn't stop smiling as I watched him drive away. My amazing boyfriend had pretty much fucked me into oblivion this morning, and all the endorphins and whatever else that resulted from sex left me feeling much too good to be worried or nervous about my meeting with the chiefs.

I spoke to the security guard in the lobby and we both commented on how many people seemed to be milling about the building on the Sunday before Christmas. I rode the elevator to the tenth floor and stepped into the ATS lobby at 10:37 on the dot.

Edward and Carlisle were leaning against the reception desk quietly talking. As I walked toward them, Carlisle glanced at his phone and looked at me tightly, clearly annoyed that I was late. If he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't say shit about it.

"Good morning," I said.

"Hi, Bella," said Edward.

"Bella," said Carlisle with a nod of his head.

They looked as rough as I'd ever seen them. Neither appeared to have slept much since the party Friday night, if at all. Edward wore a pair of jeans and a Seahawks hoodie while Carlisle had dressed almost exactly as his father yesterday, in a thick sweater, slacks, and loafers.

"We thought we'd meet in one of the conference rooms if that's all right with you," Edward said. "Neutral ground."

"Has that been approved by Gianna?" I asked with a smirk.

Carlisle just stared at me blankly, but Edward laughed... a little.

"No, but I think she'd make an exception since we'll be discussing the future of the company," he said.

"Lead the way," I replied.

I followed them to one of the smaller conference rooms which featured an oblong table at its center. I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I saw not only Esme, but the bitch herself - - Rose - - sitting in the room.

Esme sat at the table, in another bulky cardigan, while Rose sat slumped in a chair in a corner with her head resting against the wall. Both of their puffy, splotchy faces indicated that they'd been crying all weekend. As a matter of fact, Esme had an entire box of tissues sitting beside her.

Edward sat at the table as close to Rose as he could get, while Carlisle sat right beside Esme. I sat across the table from all of them; I wanted to see each of their faces as we talked.

"Hello, Bella," Esme said softly when I entered the room.

"Hi, Esme," I said.

Rose hadn't moved a muscle since I'd walked in, and she certainly hadn't spoken to me, so I ignored her. She looked like she'd been dragged here against her will. Her usually perfect hair had been thrown into a sloppy ponytail and she wore a pair of pink leggings and a baggy white sweatshirt. I wasn't judging because I was dressed very casually myself, but for her, this outfit was positively slumming it. I turned back to Esme.

"I won't pretend that I don't know," I said. "Congratulations about the baby. Caius said that you're excited."

"Thank you," she said as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "I am."

Carlisle rubbed his hand over his forehead and sighed. "I'm glad you mentioned not pretending," he said. "We want to clear the air with you once and for all today. No secrets."

"That's fine with me," I said. "I have nothing to hide."

"To start," Edward said, "you have to understand that there's always been issues between Uncle Caius and our moms. That's why ..."

I sighed and folded my arms. "Let me stop you right there," I said to him. "I'm not here to listen to the history of your family. It has absolutely nothing to do with me. Every single one of you has treated me like shit since the day I walked through that door when my only crime was answering a want ad."

They all looked stunned that I'd already derailed their little speech, even Rose stirred a little in her seat.

"So if you want to explain something," I said tersely, "tell me what the fuck I did to any of you to treat me the way that you have."

Edward looked shell-shocked, Rose had the nerve to chuckle, and Esme appeared terrified. I didn't give a shit.

Carlisle was the first to speak.

"We've had issue with you because you were brought in behind our backs," he said testily. "My father did that on his own. He never consulted us."

"He was the CEO," I replied. "By definition, he could do what he wanted."

"That's not entirely true," Edward said. "Yes, we made him the CEO, but ATS was never his. Rose and I planned and developed this whole company. We came up with the concept, we came up with the name, we wrote the business plan, we ..."

Again, I cut him off. "So if you did all that, why'd you let somebody else be CEO? That seems like your first mistake. And I'm sorry, but it was a big one."

And that's when Edward stopped playing nice.

"Because - - as I tried to tell you in the first place," he shouted, "we have issues in our family. He wouldn't let us have our money, _family_ money that we were entitled to, unless we named him CEO. We didn't have a choice."

Having grown up with a parent who liked to throw hissy fits, his little outburst left me completely unfazed.

"People start companies every single day without inheritance money," I replied. "They use their own personal money, some max out their credit cards, and some take out loans. They do whatever they can to start their business and run it the way they want. You willingly allowed Caius to run this company, then you got mad when he did what he wanted. That's nobody's fault but your own."

"Why would we take out a loan when we had our own money?" yelled Rose, finally joining the party. "That's fucking dumb."

"Not as dumb as letting somebody else be CEO of a company you created," I retorted.

"None of that matters now because my father has stepped down," Carlisle said.

"You're right," I replied. "So who'll be CEO now? Rose or Edward?"

Both of their faces blanched and they quickly looked at each other.

"_I'll _be the new CEO," Carlisle said awkwardly.

I chuckled and looked around the room.

"You've just proven the point I'm trying to make," I said. "Rose and Edward, neither one of you wants to be the CEO. You want to sit back and brag about how ATS was all your idea, but in reality, being CEO is too much fucking work and responsibility for you. Caius busted his ass for this place and you never gave him credit. _Never._"

Rose and Edward both glared at me but it was Esme who spoke.

"Bella's right," she said, looking down the table at them. "If we're all being perfectly honest here, you know she's right. And I hate it because now you'll treat Carlisle like you treated Caius. You'll drive him to a heart attack too, just like your family did to Caius."

She burst into tears and Carlisle surprised me by pulling her into his arms. He stroked her hair and kissed her face tenderly while he whispered to her.

"Contrary to what you think about me, I bust my ass for this place too," Edward said through clenched teeth.

"Really?" I asked. "Then it was you who brought in the biggest clients? Not Emmett?"

Since I might or might not have a job by the end of this meeting anyway, I was gonna say whatever the fuck I wanted. Their spoiled asses needed some doses of the truth.

"You leave him out of this," Edward shouted. "You weren't even here when those clients came. You don't know what happened."

The passion of his reaction answered my question. He wouldn't have gotten that mad if what I said wasn't true. It was almost like he hated Emmett as much as Rose hated me.

"No matter who brought in the biggest clients, the fact remains that Edward works hard too," Carlisle said as he held the sobbing Esme.

"And unlike you, who thinks she knows everything," spat Rose, looking deadly as she glared at me, "Edward and I know our strengths. He knows sales and I know I.T. That's what we're best suited for, so that's what we do."

"That's fine," I said as I glared right back at her. "But that also means that you have to do what the CEO says. And if you don't like the CEO, or the CEO's decisions, then you should do something about it. But that's not what any of you did. If you hated Caius hiring me, then you should've told me on day one. You should've had the balls to say, 'We don't agree with this, and we've decided to let you go.' But that's not what you did."

I sat ramrod straight as I spoke, looking each one of them in the eye. "You let me come to work every day for four months, spreading nasty rumors behind my back, when all I did was make this place better. All I did was make a stronger team. That's fucked up and you all know it."

My little speech had made me so angry that I started to tear up, which I hated to do in front of them. Esme pulled a tissue from her box and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I covered my face with my hand and took deep breaths to calm down.

"That's an excellent point," Esme said now that she'd stopped crying. "Letting you go was discussed, but the staff responded to you in a way they never responded to us. It would've been stupid to let you go."

"It _was_ a mistake not to do something about the situation with you sooner," Carlisle said.

I rolled my eyes at him and gave a bitter chuckle.

"But we admit that you work very hard, and you're an excellent writer with good ideas," he added. "We need to move forward. When the staff gets back to work on Wednesday, they'll all be talking about that fucked-up party. Then, when we tell them that Caius is leaving, we know they'll have no confidence in the executive team whatsoever. That's no way to run a business."

"We have more clients than ever before," Esme said. "And the expansion's going on too. Everybody at the company except for us, and Alice and Jasper, just started this year. That's not good. We know that. We need you to help us move forward."

She paused and rubbed her stomach.

"Well, _they_ need you because I'm resigning," she said. "I can't do this anymore. My pregnancy is not going well and I don't need the stress of this job."

"The job that I've been doing for you anyway," I said angrily.

"Yes," she replied. "The job you've already been doing. That's why I wanted to thank you in front of the whole group at the party. I bought your gift myself: it was a leather-bound writing journal from Smythson. What happened to it? I have no idea."

She threw a dirty look down the table at Rose who hastily looked away.

"We'd like for you to stay and take over for Esme as Chief Operating Officer," Carlisle said. "You would receive the same salary she did, which is a substantial increase over your current salary, and you'd be a part of the executive team."

"Is that what everyone wants?" I asked snidely, turning to Rose and Edward who still looked furious with me. "What about the creators of the company? They look like they want to go a different direction."

"You're such a fucking bitch," shouted Rose, finally losing control of her temper. "Don't you get it? We're fucked right now. We need you. YOU WIN. Isn't that enough for you? It's not enough that you have ..."

She clammed up then, crossed her arms and legs tightly, and turned to look out of the window.

"Not enough that I have what Rose?" I shouted back. "Spit it out. Tell me right now. What the hell is your problem with me?"

"You have Emmett," she yelled, turning back to me. "_You. Have. Emmett. _The most decent man I've ever met. The only man who never wanted anything from me. The only man outside of my family who treated me with respect. You have him. You took the only man I ever cared for."

Rose looked positively unhinged. Even Edward, who clearly was closest to her of everyone here, seemed startled by her reaction.

"Then, because that wasn't enough," she said, "you weaseled your way into my company and you even took my uncle away from me. He used to talk to _me_ in the mornings before you got here. Did you know that? Are you happy now? You got him too. Is there anything else you want? Do you want the clothes off my back too?"

So _finally_ this shit was on the table. Tears streamed down her face as her whole body shook. Edward moved closer to her to try to calm her down.

"Let's get something straight once and for all," I said in a menacing voice that would have made Caius proud. "You_ never _had a chance in hell of being with Emmett, no matter what fantasy you created with him in your mind."

She continued to sob as Edward rubbed her back. However, I wasn't done.

"In life, you get what you give," I said, "and if the only men you get are fucked-up losers who don't treat you right, then maybe you should work on your nasty fucking attitude."

"If you hadn't come here, we would've had a chance," she cried. "He was nice to me, he flirted with me, did he tell you that? Then, you came in here with your tight fucking shirts and sweaters laughing and giggling all around him. It was completely unprofessional."

"Being nice to someone and flirting with them is two different things," I said to clarify_ that_ delusion. "And of everybody sitting at this table, I'm the only one who treats the other employees with respect, but _I'm_ unprofessional? That's fucking hilarious."

Esme passed Edward the box of tissues and he handed one to Rose. He held his cousin as she cried.

"Okay, this Emmett business really has nothing to do with what we're here for," Carlisle said. "I've put our offer on the table, Bella. Will you take over for Esme as COO?"

"I like working here, despite how I've been treated, and I'd like to stay," I said. "But until I hear from Edward and Rose that they want me here, I don't know. Because if I stay, I'm not putting up with a bunch of attitude from them. There's too much work to do."

"You want the truth, I'll tell you the truth," Edward yelled. "Do I want you here? No. Do I need you here? Yes. You talk about attitude, nobody throws around more than you. Maybe you treat the other staff with respect, but you've _never _treated me with respect."

"Me either," said Rose, sniffling as she leaned against him. "You've never liked me."

I actually laughed, but I didn't need to defend myself. Carlisle did it for me.

"In all fairness," he said to his cousins, "I think that Bella reacted to the way we all treated her."

"I agree with Carlisle," Esme said to them. "Bella does have an attitude with us, but it's understandable. But I've watched her with the others. She takes a real interest in their lives. You need her here, at least for the immediate future while you transition from Caius to Carlisle."

I barely ever saw Esme around, and I wondered when the hell she'd seen me "with the others."

Edward sighed, then looked back at me. "In the interests of moving forward, I would like for you to stay and be a part of the executive team. I'm sorry for whatever I've done to make you uncomfortable here. We need this company to succeed. We need this company to_ grow. _The staff loves you, and I agree that we need you here."

"Thank you," I replied. "I'll respect the fact that you do put in your share of work around here. And maybe I'll have a better understanding of what you do once I'm on the executive team."

"Thank you," Edward said.

We all turned to Rose who looked like a cornered, wounded animal.

After many moments of pregnant silence, she spoke.

"I don't think I'll ever like you," she said to me. "It's just too personal with you. But I agree with the others that the majority of the staff love you and we need you here. Edward's exactly right: we don't just need this company to stay like it is, we need it to grow. I think you could help us do that."

We all remained silent and continued staring at her. I hoped she didn't think she was getting away without an apology.

She looked away from us, down to her lap, and fiddled with her phone.

Finally, she looked up at me with watery eyes. "I'm sorry about the party," she said as her lip quivered. "I wanted to embarrass you. But my mom and my aunt got involved and they wanted to get back at Caius too and it all went to hell. He hates me now, and I never wanted that."

She broke down crying again and fell forward into a blubbering heap as Edward continued his efforts to console her. I knew that would be all I'd get by way of apology from her, and for now, it was enough. Frankly, I didn't want to keep rehashing all this shit and even more importantly, I wanted to leave and be done with this meeting.

"Do you agree to the terms discussed?" Carlisle asked. "We'll put it all in writing and you can sign on Wednesday morning. We'd also like some sort of agreement from you that you'll stay on for at least a year. We need you to help us with the staff. They respect you. It'll do no good if you're only here for a few more months then leave."

"I'll agree to take the job as COO and stay on for at least the next year," I said. "But I'm not agreeing to Esme's salary."

They all looked at me in surprise.

"No offense, Esme, but I'm sure you don't make what they all make," I said.

Everyone's silence indicated that I was right.

"If I'm going to be doing the same amount of work that they are, then I want the same salary as Rose and Edward," I replied. "And if they make different amounts then I want ..."

Edward interrupted me. "We make the same," he mumbled.

"Then, that's what I want," I replied. "And I want Jasper in HR to verify that before I sign anything."

"Fine," Carlisle said a little tightly.

I was annoyed all over again that these bastards had tried to shortchange me, but I calmed myself down because they'd quickly acquiesced to my demand. Caius's voice from yesterday rang through my head: '_Make them pay. Literally_.'

With cooler heads, we talked more and nailed down the particulars of my job. In addition to the marketing team which I already worked closely with, I would be responsible for the HR, legal, and general administration teams. That meant that both Gianna and Jasper would be in my group. I instantly thought of my other friend.

"What about Alice?" I asked. "She was Caius's assistant and I would like her to work in my group now."

"That's fine," Carlisle said. "I'd like to keep Kate as my assistant anyway."

"I have no problem with that," Rose said shakily.

"I know you and Alice are friends but I know you'll keep it professional," said Edward.

"What will happen to the finance team?" I asked Carlisle. "Will you hire a CFO from outside."

"No, one of the first things we decided was that we didn't want to hire any outside executives," Carlisle said. "What are your thoughts on that?"

"I agree," I said. "I think we have great in-house talent when they're utilized properly."

For the first time all day, Carlisle smiled.

"I do too," he replied. "Right now, I don't think we need extra staff on the finance team. I think of the group, Jake would be best suited to step into my former role as CFO. The others are incredibly adept and can easily step up into expanded roles. I'll work out some proposals and suggested pay increases over the next few days."

"What about a writer?" Rose asked, stunning me to the point that I almost fell off of my chair.

"Yeah," Edward said. "I think we need to keep a writer like you on the team. When Uncle Caius hired you, I thought it was a joke, but it's an important job. I get it now."

"I'd like to find someone in-house," I said. "There are a few projects that I'll finish myself, but until things settle down, I'm not in favor of bringing in anyone new."

"I agree," Carlisle said. "We had the money for all the new people we've brought on, but we don't know if any clients will leave once they find out about Caius. We'll need to monitor our expenditures more closely until things settle down."

I knew that several more positions would need to be re-aligned or shifted with all of these changes, but we could work all that out next week. For now, I was ready to leave. I'd had enough.

"Are we about done then?" I asked as I checked my phone. We'd been here for over an hour and New Business had already texted me several times. "I've got plans."

"Yes, I think so," Carlisle said. "I know that some ugly things were said here. But I think we've hashed out the worst of it. I'm trusting us all to move forward. I gave up a lot to work here in the first place and I'm not going to let this company be destroyed over petty squabbles and family feuds."

"Spoken like a true CEO," I replied as the others chuckled awkwardly.

"I just want to say one last thing," Esme said, looking down the table at Edward and Rose. "We're leaving here in a very good place, but you two know what your family is like. I would ask that you please, _please_ not let your mothers undermine Carlisle or this company."

"I've tried to ignore a lot of my mom's behavior over the years," Edward said, "but I've seen a side of her that I don't like these past few days. I understand that maybe I ran to her with too many of my problems before, but I won't anymore. We _have _to keep this company going. I take your point, Esme."

"Me too," Rose mumbled as she dabbed at her eyes with her tissue.

I stood and put my coat on while they sat still and watched me.

"Merry Christmas, guys," I said as I approached the door.

"You too," Carlisle said. "And Bella, thank you. You didn't have to meet with us but I'm very glad that you did."

"It was a necessary meeting," I said. "I'm glad it happened too."

With that, I waved to them all and walked to the elevator.

"Bella," Edward called as he jogged toward me.

"Yes?" I asked, wondering what more he had to say.

"Since we're clearing the air, I wanted to personally apologize for whatever my brother said to you at the party," he said sheepishly. "He's kind of an ass."

"Takes one to know one," I replied as the elevator door opened.

Edward's smirk was the last thing I saw as the doors closed.

I called New Business as soon as I reached the lobby.

"Are you okay?" he asked immediately. "We were seriously about to come bribe the security guard to let us up there."

I laughed as I waved to said security guard and stepped outside. "I'm fine," I said. "It was ugly, but it's _somewhat_ okay now. Where are you guys?"

"We're at Jenks' deli," he said. "We just walked outside. We can see you."

I looked down the street and did indeed see Emmett, Renée, and Phil walking toward me. I met them halfway.

"Are you all right?" an agitated Renée demanded. "Do I need to get a lawyer? I'll get fucking Gloria Allred if I have to."

Phil and I laughed.

"I'm fine," I said. "I'll tell you _all _about it."

As we walked to the Space Needle, I told them as much as I could remember of what happened at the meeting. New Business was outraged that Rose said he flirted with her, but he loved how I'd handled that. Phil and my mom absolutely cackled when I told them how I wouldn't agree to Esme's salary because I knew in my gut that she didn't make what the others did.

"Has she always been so bad-ass?" Emmett asked my delighted mom.

"Always," she said as she beamed with pride. "And she gets that from _me_."

Still laughing, we continued on our way. I knew that everything wouldn't be sunshine and roses when I returned to work, but I felt like I was on much better footing. I got the distinct impression that the chiefs weren't interested in looking for new jobs either and I knew we'd work hard to keep ATS successful. Whether we could hold the company together would remain to be seen.

* * *

**A/N:**** So, not the Christmas dinner, but I hope you were entertained by the chapter nonetheless.**

**As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12: Double Chapter

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight.**_** I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

**1. Thanks for all the reviews!**

**2. Yep, this is another long one. If you're still reading this story, you know that this is how I roll LOL :)**

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 12: Double Chapter**

**BPOV**

After the volatile meeting with the chiefs, Renée, Phil, Emmett, and I spent our afternoon visiting and dining at the Space Needle. It pleased me to no end that Emmett seemed comfortable with my mom and stepdad.

"_She's kinda pushy," he told me privately, "but other than that, she's cool." _

Knowing how kooky my mom could be, I thought that his comments were a ringing endorsement.

Emmett needed to return to Maggie's, so we parted ways after lunch. The talk with the chiefs left me mentally drained and I wanted to go home and jump back into bed. However, I knew there would be no rest for me at all over the next few days. Additionally, I needed to complete one more task in preparation for Christmas dinner, and I knew a way I could kill two birds with one stone.

"I thought we might go to see your boyfriend Jeff," I said to Renée who grinned widely.

"Not that I'm surprised she has a boyfriend," Phil said, "but who's Jeff, and more importantly, is he bigger than me?"

My mom and I cackled.

"Jeff is the sales guy at _Partition_," I replied. "The store you paid a big chunk of money to for all my furniture."

"Gotcha," he replied.

"I'll see if he's in today," Renée said, already on the phone.

"What else do you need from there?" Phil asked.

"A small table and some folding or stackable chairs," I replied.

Phil nodded in understanding. "I thought you'd put the important people at the dining room table and the rest of us would eat around the sectional."

"First of all, you'd be at the table," I replied as he grinned. "You're important."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," he said as I laughed.

"Jeff's there and he said to come right over," Renée said excitedly. "He asked what you needed but I didn't know."

"Another small table and some folding or stackable chairs," I repeated.

Like Phil, she understood right away. "How many people are coming to dinner?" she asked.

"Fourteen," I replied. "The dining room table can seat six when it's expanded. We_ could_ spread out between the table and the sectional but I really want everyone to eat dinner together. It's important."

"It is," Renée said. "I'll help you set up."

"I didn't think there'd be so many," Phil said.

"It doesn't seem like it," I said, "but there's us, and Charlie and Sue. Then, there's nine people with Emmett and his family. He brought over one folding table, but that's all they had."

"It's last minute, but you could probably rent that stuff from somewhere," Phil said.

"I thought about that," I replied, "but with Emmett's family, Angie and Ben, and my friends from work, I figure it would be good to have extra seats on hand."

"You actually have a life now," Phil said.

"I do," I said, laughing. "So it stands to reason we'll use that stuff again. I could just go to Target or Walmart, but I knew mom wanted to meet Jeff, and this'll save time."

"And he'll find something that's high quality and stylish too," she said, interrupting me before she dialed Jeff again.

"Because our ass cheeks can only rest on the finest of folding chairs," Phil said snootily, rolling his eyes.

"I missed you, Phil," I said as I laughed.

"I missed you too," he muttered, causing me to laugh harder. "You don't even know."

* * *

Even with all the extra shoppers in the store due to Christmas, the rowdy greeting between Renée and Jeff drew attention. They took charge right away while Phil and I followed. When we passed a section with office furniture, I watched as Phil wandered into it and looked around with more than a casual interest. Before I had a chance to ask why, Charlie called me.

"I wanted to see if your mother really got there okay but I can hear her big mouth," he said as I laughed.

"She got here safe and sound," I said. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with us when you get here tomorrow? It's just for one night."

He laughed, and I did too. My mom would drive Sue nuts if they spent the night.

"Nope," he said. "I'm all ready. Got a nice little trip planned for Sue"

"What are you up to?" I asked.

"Nothing for you to worry about," he said. "I'll let you know when we get in tomorrow."

I turned my attention back to Phil.

"You just remodeled your office last year," I said. "Is she making you update it?"

"Nah," he said as he smiled. "I'm just getting some ideas."

He looked around to make sure Renée wasn't within earshot before he lowered his voice and spoke.

"I didn't want to say anything until it's definite, but I've been looking at office space," he said. "My businesses did great this year, and I need to set up an office outside of the house. I don't need much space but I definitely need a few meeting rooms."

"I'm happy it's going so well," I said. "I promise I won't say anything. She won't be happy about you not working from home anymore."

I really felt for Phil. My mom liked to be the center of his universe. This would not go over well.

"No, she won't," he said. "I want to hire an assistant too. Hell, I'd like her to do it but..."

I laughed rather loudly as he chuckled with me. "She is _so _not interested in working again. That's what she married you for."

"I know," he said. "But that would be ideal."

"And you'd better hire some sweet little old lady to be your assistant, or a guy, because she won't be happy with you hiring _any _woman younger than her," I said as I chuckled.

He groaned. "Exactly why I haven't said anything yet," he said. "And if I tell her I'm looking at office spaces, she'll try to take that over too."

"I'll pray for you," I said.

"I'm glad we have a few minutes alone," he said when he stopped laughing. "I wanted to tell you how different you are now."

"Different good or different bad?" I asked.

"Good. Definitely good," he said. "I was worried about you moving here. But as soon as I walked in the door Thursday, I knew you were good. You look so much happier. Not that you looked sad before, you just look alive now."

"That's how I feel," I said. "I miss home, but I love it here."

"I like Emmett," he said. "Good guy. You should see how he looks at you."

"I _can _see how he looks at me," I replied as he laughed.

"I mean from a male perspective," he said. "He's all in. I can tell. That's what you deserve, not some idiot like Mike. I ran into him a couple weeks back. He asked me about you."

"Mike wasn't that bad," I said. "He's just no Emmett."

"Understatement of the year," Phil said as I guffawed.

"What are you two plotting over here?" Renée asked, appearing right beside me.

"None of your business," I said. "Are you done? Did you find what I need?"

"I did," she said as she laughed. "Follow me."

Jeff and my mom, unsurprisingly, selected a beautiful set of stackable chairs along with a folding hideaway table and chairs set. _Those _purchases weren't all that expensive. However, Jeff had convinced Renée that I needed a ton of Christmas accessories for the dinner: serving dishes and plates, a centerpiece, and table linens. So I spent more than I'd planned, of course.

"You're evil," I said to him as I signed the receipt.

He laughed. "Just making your house a home, and your dinner perfect."

* * *

I woke up in a panicky state on Monday. It was Christmas Eve and thoughts of everything that had to be done in a day's time raced through my mind. However, a quick mental pep talk calmed me down and put me in motion.

After breakfast with Phil and an overly excited Renée, I called New Business. He hadn't spent the night, and unfortunately, he had to work today.

"Yeah, this sucks," he muttered when I reached him.

"You shouldn't be such a hot-shot salesman," I replied, earning the laugh I wanted. "Then they'd lower their expectations of you."

"And I'd be out of a job," he said with a chuckle. "Nah, I'm good. Just needed to vent. Are you going out today?"

"My mom and Phil are, this afternoon," I said. "They love shopping on Christmas Eve. Not me."

"Ma, Emily, and Gianna are already out in it," he said. "I should be done here by two. I'll come over then. We need to exchange our gifts and I doubt we'll have any time alone tomorrow."

I gasped. "Oh my god, I forgot to get you a gift," I said in faux shock.

"You better have something by the time I get over there," Emmett said as he laughed. "I want my gift."

"And if I don't?" I asked suggestively.

"Then I'll..."

He stopped when someone walked into his office and asked him a question.

"Sorry about that," he said when he returned.

"No problem," I replied. "I did get you a gift even though you're hard to shop for. It's not much but..."

"It's from you and that's all that matters," he said softly, causing me to grin.

"I better go start cooking," I said.

"Yeah, I need to go too," he said. "I'll see you this afternoon."

When I stopped smiling from my chat with New Business, I called Maggie. We settled on the cooking logistics for tomorrow which put my mind at ease. She'd come over in the morning to prepare the meats here, after their gift exchange and breakfast. That meant I needed to cook most of my sides and cakes today, which I'd planned to do anyway.

I'd wandered back into the kitchen as I talked to Maggie and when I ended the call, my mom and Phil were grinning at me.

"I miss you, but it's nice to see you so happy in your own place," Renée said warmly. "You look very much at home here."

"You really do," Phil said.

I smiled at them in reply, and then we got to work.

"We'll arrange the tables and do the place settings while you cook," my mom said. "This way, we won't have to worry about it tomorrow. Where's your ironing board?"

Only the prospect of showing off for people could make my mother volunteer to do housework. But I knew she'd iron those new Christmas tablecloths like her life depended on it to make the table look perfect.

"Thanks," I said as I showed her where it was. "It would be great if you could run all those new plates and forks through the dishwasher too."

"Done," she replied.

We worked on our respective projects, talking all the while. Around one, Angie and Ben arrived. Angie had asked me to bake two cakes for her to take to Forks, and they'd come to pick them up.

"What is this?" Renée shrieked as she grabbed Angie's left hand.

"It's what you think!" Angie shouted. "He proposed!"

Their high-pitched screams went on for the longest so I hugged Ben first.

"Congratulations," I said. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," he said. "Thought I'd make it official before I meet her family."

"Congrats," Phil said. "Hope you got some money saved up. Marriage is expensive."

"Correction," I said. "Marriage to my mom is expensive."

"That's enough from you," Renée said as we laughed.

Finally released from my mom's clutches, Angie hugged me tightly.

"I'm so happy for you," I said. "I'm assuming you said 'yes'?"

"I did," she replied as everyone laughed.

Angie and Ben stayed for almost an hour. I continued cooking while they helped Renée and Phil set up. They eagerly listened to the story of my meeting with the chiefs yesterday.

"If Carlisle's moving up to CEO, I bet you get a promotion too, babe," Angie said to Ben.

"Hopefully," he said with a grin. "Jake will probably take over for Carlisle as CFO, and the rest of us will probably split everything else. It'll be more work for everyone, but it should mean more money too and that never hurts."

The rest of the time, my mom and I tried to give Ben tips on dealing with Angie's family. Needless to say, we spent more time laughing than talking.

"They can't possibly be this bad," Ben said.

"Famous last words," said Renée which sent us laughing all over again.

When Angie and Ben left, Renée and Phil did too.

"We're going to see what trouble we can get into," my mom said as she put on her coat.

"Have fun," I replied with a chuckle.

"You could take a little break and come with us," she said.

"No, she's doing important work," Phil said as I laughed. "Carry on with your cooking, please."

I was locking the door behind them when I heard my mom loudly exclaiming so I poked my head outside. New Business, holding little Austin, was on his way inside. Austin was clearly not in the mood for my loud, excitable mother. He clung tightly to Emmett when she tried to hold him. They talked a bit longer before they came inside.

"Now you get to see my house," I said to Austin who looked around the apartment with wide eyes. He stuck closely to his uncle as Emmett pulled his coat off.

"He gets a little clingy with me sometimes," New Business said quietly.

"I know the feeling," I replied as he laughed.

"Where is everybody?" I asked.

"Liam had to work today. He's still there," he said. "When I got to Ma's, the rest of them were there, deciding where they wanted to go next. But Austin wanted to come with me."

He leaned down to kiss me. "Whatever you're cooking smells really good," he said.

"Thanks," I replied as he looked around the room.

"That table looks great," he added, "and I like all these chairs. They'll be good for when we have people over again."

"That's what I thought too," I said, smiling at the thought of him planning future things here with our friends.

"I want hot dog," Austin said suddenly.

"How do you know I have hot dogs?" I asked as I smiled down at him.

"I want it," he said simply, causing Emmett and I to laugh rather loudly.

"I could go for some too," he said. "Do you want any?"

"No thanks," I said. "I've been tasting stuff all day. I'm not hungry. I need to finish slicing potatoes."

Emmett cooked hot dogs and baked beans while Austin - - who'd finally warmed up - - talked to us nonstop as we moved about the kitchen. They ate together while I continued work on the various side dishes I was making for tomorrow. When I came to a good stopping point, I joined them on the sectional.

"Do you think we should do them now?" I asked, pointing to the gifts around my little tree.

He nodded and I decided to give Austin his first to distract him.

"Austin, Santa left one of your presents here with me," I said. "Do you want to open it now?"

His little face lit up as he tore open the paper on the box I handed him. He shrieked in delight at the five play-a-sound books inside, then he dropped the box on the floor to hug me.

"I think he likes them," New Business said. "Look bud, you got _Cars_ and Elmo..."

Emmett seemed almost as excited as Austin as they pressed the sounds on the books.

"Uh, those are for your nephew," I said as New Business guffawed.

He reluctantly pulled himself away and let Austin lose himself in the books. He pretended to read as he turned the pages and pressed the sounds, completely lost in his own little world.

"They must read to him at preschool because he doesn't sit still long enough for anybody to read to him at home," Emmett said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said. "Just seeing his face was worth it. Let's do our gifts before my mom and Phil get back. Could I go first?"

"Sure," he replied.

I handed him the first of his two gifts. He dramatically shook the box with a big grin.

"Don't get your hopes up," I said.

He laughed loudly as he opened the box and examined the sturdy Nike gym bag inside of it.

"You wouldn't believe how many of these I go through," he said with a broad grin.

"Yeah, it's time for a new one," I said as I waved my hand in front of my face and scrunched up my nose.

"Thank you, I love it," he said as he kissed me quickly.

I took a deep breath before I handed him the next one.

"It's not much," I said.

I wrung my hands in my lap as he opened the box.

"It's perfect," he replied as he looked up and grinned. He took his time scrolling through the pictures - - all of me - - that I'd loaded into the digital picture frame.

"I didn't know what to get you," I said nervously. "I figured you could take that with you on the road."

The more he scrolled, the more nervous I became, and the more I babbled.

"I'm not a narcissist or anything," I said, "but I thought it would be easier to look at this instead of your phone when you're in your hotel room. Not that I think you should look at me all the time but..."

He stopped my rambling by pulling me into a deep, scorching kiss.

"This is perfect," he repeated. "The box says it can hold eight hundred pictures, so that means I get to take a lot more before my next trip."

He wriggled his eyebrows at me, causing me to smile, but I was still nervous about the gift.

"I'm sorry it's not more," I said. "I've just been so busy and I didn't know what else to get. You're very hard to buy for."

"I'm special. What can I say?" he remarked, which finally made me laugh.

"This really is the perfect gift," he said. "Especially now. I'm definitely gonna need this."

"More trips?" I asked somberly.

"Yeah," he said. "I had a long meeting with my boss and the regional VP today. They think I'm doing great and they want me to follow up on some leads I've developed and go to more conferences. I'll be gone a lot in January."

For the first time since we'd started opening gifts, Austin stopped playing with the books and turned toward us. Maybe he sensed the heaviness in the air from our conversation, but it was almost like he knew his uncle would be leaving soon.

Austin stood and climbed into my lap. I hugged him and we both stared at Emmett with sad expressions.

"Okay, I can't take it from both of you," he said with a weak chuckle.

"I guess we got spoiled this last month," I said.

"We did," he replied.

I sighed. "This really stinks, but I understand," I said.

"Eventually, I want to apply for a position with the company where I don't have to travel so much," Emmett said. "But I need to stay in this job for at least six months."

"I understand," I said, "you just started there. We'll make it."

"We make it," Austin said, causing us to laugh.

"Hey, Austin, I'll teach Miss Bella how to do this."

Emmett lifted his hands to his face around his mouth and blew out a breath, causing some sort of farting raspberry sound that sent Austin into a fit of giggles in my arms.

"I think I can do that," I said, repeating the action.

Apparently, this was the funniest thing Austin had ever seen because he couldn't stop laughing. He continued to giggle as he returned to his books.

With Austin distracted again, Emmett handed me his gift.

"I put your gifts from the rest of the family under the tree," he said.

"Thanks," I replied. "I'll send mine with you."

"I only got you one gift, so I hope you like it," he said, looking as nervous as I'd felt earlier.

I opened the box to find a white Seahawks jersey, in my size, customized with 'McCarty' on the back.

"Oh no," I said, "they misspelled 'Swan'."

Emmett threw back his head and howled with laughter.

"No, they didn't," he said with a gleam in his eye. "That's the right name."

"I love this," I said. "I'll wear it with pride, _except _when they play my Cardinals."

"Deal," he said.

We talked and read with Austin until Charlie called to let me know that he and Sue had arrived safely in Seattle and had checked into their hotel. Soon thereafter my mom and Phil returned.

"You are the cutest!" Renée gushed as she immediately plopped down on the floor to read with Austin. Phil was more concerned with my gift from Emmett.

"You still have your Cardinals jersey, don't you?" he asked with real attitude.

"Oh yeah," I replied as Emmett rolled his eyes.

"It's a shame you have such a shitty team to root for," New Business said with a grin.

"The Seahawks only just got good again, so you're not really in a position to be trash talking," Phil said, grinning in return.

Phil and I took turns insulting the Seahawks while New Business trashed the Cardinals in kind. The whole time, my mom stayed on the floor with Austin. When Emily called to check on her son, Emmett decided it was time for them to go.

However, when he tried to leave Austin's books here, the little guy was not having it.

"I want iss mine books!" he shouted.

"Damn, that kid's got a set of lungs on him," Phil said as I chuckled.

New Business caved, but he did manage to sneak away two of the books to leave here. I thought that was a great idea in case Austin got bored tomorrow.

I walked with them out to his car, and carried the bags with the rest of my gifts for the family. I chuckled when Austin whined in his car seat until Emmett gave him one of the books to play with on the ride.

"Guess I better get some more books to keep here," I said after we kissed goodbye.

"Yeah, I think you better. See ya tomorrow."

I watched them drive off, and smiled the entire time as I walked back inside the apartment. My mom was quietly looking through one of Austin's books when I returned.

"What's her problem?" I whispered to Phil.

"I think she's starting menopause," he whispered back. "She's been real broody lately. You're gone, and Marti just had the baby, and Lisa's daughter is pregnant too."

Marti and Lisa were my mom's best friends back in Phoenix. Marti was only a few years younger than Renée, but she'd spent a ton of money on fertility treatments to get pregnant.

"No wonder she's been on my case about marriage and kids," I said.

We stopped talking when my mom turned the TV off and walked into the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she said after a lengthy sigh as she poured herself a glass of wine. "I think I'll have a bath and think about my life."

"Soak away some of the dramatics while you're in there," I said as Phil guffawed.

Even Renée had to laugh. "I really miss you," she said as she smirked at me. "Smart-ass mouth and all."

* * *

I was so exhausted from all the activity of Christmas Eve that I completely overslept on Christmas morning. Had New Business not called me at ten minutes to eight, there was no telling when I might have woken up.

"Merry Christmas," he said happily.

"Merry Christmas," I replied.

"Whew, somebody needs a little more sleep," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh shut up," I said as I yawned. "Thanks for calling. I completely overslept. What time are you coming over?"

"I'm not really sure," he said. "Probably around noon."

"I hear the boys," I said with a smile. "They must have had a good Christmas, thanks to Santa uncle Em."

"Not just me," he said. "I'd better go. Austin wants to play. Ma should be over there soon."

"Okay. See ya soon," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied.

The thought of him playing with the kids around their huge tree put a giant smile on my face. I happily climbed out of bed to prepare myself for what I hoped would be one of the best Christmases ever.

* * *

Maggie arrived just after my mom and Phil had opened their gifts. She'd come in with a rolling cooler with the ham and chickens, as well as a tote bag with her slow cooker and spices. In less than fifteen minutes, she'd seasoned the ham and placed it in the slow cooker, then rubbed the two chickens with a ton of herbs and spices, covered the pan, and put it in the refrigerator.

"Sorry I'm in a rush, but I need to get to church," she said hurriedly. "I missed the early service."

She looked around the kitchen at all her spice jars and wrappers from the meat.

"Just leave all that," I said. "I'll clean it up. I appreciate you coming over to do this."

"No problem at all," she said brightly. "I'll be back later to put the chickens in. Everyone will be here by three."

"We'll see you later," I said as she hastily left the apartment.

"The lesson here is, never mess with little old church ladies," Phil said as we cracked up laughing.

"I have a feeling she's not a person you'd want to get on the wrong side of," Renée said.

"I've been on that wrong side and it wasn't fun," I replied with a grin.

"What happened to her husband?" Phil asked. "No one's mentioned him."

"He died a few years ago," I said. "He was older, much older, than Maggie. Twenty five years older. He had dementia, and Emmett and his sister and brother had a tough time growing up with him."

"That happened to my great grandfather," Phil said. "The family had to put him in a home."

"They didn't put Emmett's dad in a home," I said. "They all took care of him, Maggie and Emmett mainly, and they've all got a lot of issues about it. There's a lot of tension in that family."

"That's a lot for you to deal with," Renée said.

"It is," I said. "But I love him, so I'm doing the best I can."

"That's all you can do," Phil said. "We'll help you manage however we can. Just let us know."

"Thanks," I said as my mom hugged me.

While I took stock of what more I needed to do to prepare for dinner, Phil kept us laughing with outlandish stories about some of his Christmases growing up.

"You can't have a holiday dinner without some kind of fight," he said as we laughed. "So don't be surprised if some shit goes down today."

I continued cleaning up in the kitchen, steadily laughing, until someone knocked on the door.

"Merry Christmas," said Sue and Charlie when I opened it.

I was too busy hugging them to respond as they stepped inside. It certainly seemed longer than a month ago that I'd last seem them.

"Oh, let him go, you just saw him at Thanksgiving," Renée said when I clung to my dad.

"God, give me strength today," Charlie whispered as I let him go. I cracked up laughing.

Phil and Sue had already introduced themselves when my parents hugged each other.

"It's been a long time, Charlie," my mom said as she looked him up and down.

"Not long enough really," my dad said, smirking, as we all laughed.

"See what I mean, Phil? Do you see?" she said.

"I'm sure he's just kidding," Phil said as he shook my dad's hand. "Good to finally meet you."

"You too," said Charlie.

"Bella, I love your apartment," Sue said as she looked all around. "It's much bigger than I expected."

"I love it," I said. "I have Angie to thank for it though."

"Looks like a whole different place from when I was here," Charlie said.

"I did a great job with the furniture, if I do say so myself," Renée said loudly.

"We know you bought the furniture," Charlie said. "Don't get your panties in a twist about it."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing, while Sue and my mom smiled at each other awkwardly. I thought it best to keep them all in motion.

"Let me show you the rest," I said as I led Sue and Charlie down the hall.

"I really like this," Charlie said when we got to the master bedroom and he looked around at the wax pine bedroom set.

"This would look great in the new house," Sue said as she ran her hand along the dresser.

"I think so too," Charlie replied.

"New house?" I asked.

"We didn't tell you at Thanksgiving because it wasn't finalized yet," Sue said excitedly.

"But we're getting a place together," Charlie said with a smug grin. "A nice little house right on the Sol Duc riverfront."

"It's perfect for us," Sue gushed. "You'll love it."

I screamed a little and hugged them both.

"How nice," my mom said tightly.

Phil rolled his eyes behind her and it was all I could do not to laugh. We all knew what this meant: she'd be pushing Phil to buy a new house too. She would _not_ be outdone by Charlie.

"Are you keeping your old house?" I asked my dad.

"No," he replied. "I'm selling mine, but Sue's keeping hers."

"I have a little place in La Push," she said. "My sister and my niece have been staying there with me, so when I move, I'll keep it in the family."

"Have you really thought about this, Sue?" I asked seriously. "Do you understand that he'll spend all his spare time fishing now?"

"I have," she said with a big grin. "I'll be right there with him."

Renée mumbled something and left the room.

"I knew that would get her," Charlie whispered to Sue as they laughed together.

"You two behave," I said. "Are you hungry?"

"No, we had breakfast not too long ago," Sue said as we re-entered the kitchen. My mom had already poured herself a glass of wine.

"But I'll have to eat something before three," Charlie said

"I gotcha covered," I said. "I made a big bowl of tuna salad. I'll make some sandwiches soon."

"I love this kid," he said to Phil who laughed.

"Did you cook all this?" Sue asked as she read over the 'menu' I'd placed on the breakfast bar.

"Not all of it," I said. "Maggie, that's Emmett's mom, is doing the roast chickens and the ham. I'm doing pot roast. It's in one of the slow cookers now."

"I love your pot roast," Charlie said happily as my mom rolled her eyes.

"Thanks," I said as I grinned at him. "Yesterday, I made the stuffing, corn pudding, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, spice cake, and German chocolate cake. The only thing I have left to do is the roast asparagus and I'll do that this afternoon."

"My mouth is watering," Sue said.

"Emmett's sister-in-law is making rolls from scratch," I said. "His mom's boyfriend is making green bean casserole and his sister is making mac and cheese. And mom and Phil bought pies: cranberry apple and eggnog custard. So we should have plenty of food for everyone."

"We brought a bunch of different sodas and a case of beer," Charlie said. "I'll bring 'em in soon."

"Because what would Christmas dinner be without beer," said Renée, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Says the woman drinking wine first thing in the morning," Charlie retorted.

"Stop it right now you two," I said in warning to the both of them, even though Sue and Phil were shaking in their efforts not to laugh.

"Just having a little fun," Charlie said with a smirk.

I honestly didn't know how my parents had ever gotten together.

"Do you need me to help with anything?" Sue asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I need you and dad to help open your gifts."

After Charlie poured himself a glass of orange juice and Sue got a bottle of water, we settled around my little tree and exchanged gifts.

"This is beautiful, Bella," Sue said as she put on the bracelet I bought her. "It reminds me of the rocks on the beach."

"That's exactly what I thought of," I said happily. "I hoped you'd like it. It goes great with that ring you have on too."

"It does," she said as she held up her hand so we could all see the large ring she wore on her left ring finger. The gold ring was shaped like a big teardrop, inset with mother of pearl. It was unusual, but very beautiful.

"I did a pretty good job picking that out, you gotta admit," Charlie said.

"You picked that?" I asked, surprised.

"I did," he said with pride.

"I'm impressed," I said as he laughed.

"I absolutely love it," Sue said.

"If you keep wearing it on that finger, people will think you're engaged," I said with a chuckle. "You know it doesn't take much for talk to start in Forks."

The look she exchanged with my dad told me everything I needed to know.

"No way!" I shouted as I jumped up and looked between them.

"Way," Sue replied with a grin. "We're engaged!"

I hugged Sue again, then turned to hug my dad.

"How wonderful," Renée said as she quickly tossed back her glass of wine. "Congratulations."

"No wonder you were so secretive about the hotel and your plans," I said.

"You should've seen our hotel room," Sue said as she smiled and shook her head. "It had a beautiful view of the Sound. It was very romantic."

My mom looked positively furious that Charlie had all this good news; Phil was doing everything he could to keep from laughing at her.

"Congrats, old man," I said.

Charlie laughed as he hugged me. "I couldn't let Sue get away. Not many people would have me."

"Congratulations," said Phil.

"Thanks," Charlie said. "Sue doesn't really celebrate Christmas, but she promised Bella she'd come here with me. The time just felt right to do something special."

"I was very surprised," Sue said.

"I'll bet," said Renée. "I wouldn't have known if you hadn't said something. That's not a very traditional ring."

"No, it's not," Charlie said.

"But it's perfect for me," Sue said. "I like that it's different. I don't concern myself with following the latest trends."

"Obviously," Renée said.

"Charlie knows exactly what I like," Sue said. "That's all that matters. Not everyone needs to be flashy."

Phil and my dad both coughed a little as my mom and Sue faced off.

"Must be something in the air," Phil said quickly before any more words could be exchanged. "First Angie gets engaged, now you two."

"I hadn't heard about Angie," said Sue with a grin.

"Ben proposed yesterday," I said. "It'll be all over Forks by the time you get back."

"I heard he was coming to visit," Charlie said. "Poor guy."

"I tried to warn him," I said as they laughed. "That reminds me, I need to call Angie. Can you all play together nicely until I come back?"

"Just go," Renée said as everyone laughed.

"We'll go get the drinks out of the car," Charlie said as he stood to leave.

I left them and went to my bedroom to call Angie. She answered immediately.

"Seriously, I could freaking kill Angel and my mom right now," she grumbled.

"Merry Christmas," I said as she laughed. "What did they do?"

"They asked Ben how much money his family is worth," she said. "Who does that? It's like they're _trying _to run him off."

I couldn't talk for laughing, so she kept talking. "He's doing great though, he politely told them to mind their own business. Now, he's out back with my brothers; they're asking him if he hunts."

"Tell me they didn't show him the guns," I said, laughing so hard I was near tears.

"They're headed to the shed now," she said as I cackled. "I'd better get out there."

"Okay," I said, still chuckling. "I'll ..."

"Oh, one more thing," she said suddenly. "Ask your mom if she wants to hang out with me tomorrow."

"Hold on. I'll ask."

I called for Renée who quickly appeared.

"Angie wants to know if you want to hang out with her tomorrow," I said.

"I'd love to," she said excitedly. Angie had visited me several times over the years in Phoenix; she and my mom were pretty close.

"She says she'd love to," I said to Angie, before a thought occurred to me. "Will you drop Ben off at work and use his car tomorrow? You said yours was dead."

"We could take the rental," Renée said as I frowned at her. I wanted to hear Angie's response; I had a feeling I knew the answer already.

"No, I won't be dropping Ben off," Angie said with a giggle.

"What will you be driving?" I asked.

"I'll be driving my new car," she shouted excitedly.

"Did he buy it?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I wouldn't let him buy it outright. But he put a big down payment on it, so my monthly payments aren't bad at all."

"Wow," I said. "What did you get?"

"A Nissan Pathfinder," she said. "We got it Sunday."

"Isn't that a little big for you?" I asked, already knowing what she'd say.

"It won't be when we start having kids," she sang happily as I shook my head and chuckled.

"Did you drive it to Forks?" I asked.

"No, Ben drove his car here," she said.

"Well, enjoy the rest of your time, and don't kill anyone," I said as she laughed.

"I make no promises," she said. "Tell Renée I'll be there to get her between ten and eleven tomorrow morning."

I ended the call and relayed the message.

"Did she take the whole week off?" my mom asked.

"She teaches, remember?" I said. "She's on winter break until after New Year's."

"Oh that's right," she said. "Did Ben really buy her a car?"

"He made the down payment," I said.

"He seemed like a nice guy," she said. "I hope it works out for Angie. You both deserve to be happy."

"Thanks," I replied. "Now when we go back out there, you stop being difficult with Charlie and Sue."

"I'm not doing anything to them," she said.

"You doth protest too much," I said as she laughed.

"I mean, they seem perfect together," she said. "What's not to like? She's earthy and homely, he's earthy and homely."

I cracked up laughing. "She's gorgeous and you know it," I said.

"If she wants old fuddy duddy Charlie, more power to her," she said dismissively.

"That's the spirit," I said, still laughing. "Come on. Let's get back out there."

We re-joined the others just as the front door opened and Emmett walked in with Liam and Austin.

Nobody seemed happier to see New Business than my dad.

"Good to see you again," Charlie said as he jumped up from his seat and clapped Emmett on the arm.

"You too," Emmett said as he grinned.

"C'mon in, Liam," I said, "we don't bite."

He looked more nervous than I'd ever seen him, but he smiled and took his coat off.

"Thanks," he said as my parents came over to greet them.

I had to chuckle at Sue, who was practically drooling at the sight of New Business.

"Hey," I whispered to her, "you're an engaged woman. Snap out of it."

She laughed. "You are one lucky girl," she said. "Those pictures you showed me did not do him justice. _Wow._"

I picked up Austin who'd come to stand near me; he seemed a little overwhelmed by all the people.

"What did Santa bring you?" I asked.

"Toys and shirt and pants," he said shyly.

"Since you've already been here, will you help me show uncle Liam around?" I asked.

He nodded, and I rescued Liam from my mom who was talking his ear off.

"This is a nice layout," he said.

"Thanks," I replied. "Did you have a good Christmas?"

"I did," he said. "Thanks for doing this. All the family's excited. Nice to do something different for a change."

"My parents haven't seen each other in years, so I'm excited too," I said as we returned to the kitchen.

"Not to be greedy," Liam said. "But what can I eat that's not for the dinner? I'm starving."

"I was going to make tuna salad sandwiches," I said.

"Sounds good," said Liam, giving me a thumbs up.

"I want tuna too," said Austin.

"Does he eat that?" I asked Liam.

He snorted. "He eats everything," he said. "And he's probably hungry because he was too busy playing with his toys this morning to eat his breakfast."

"I play my toys," said Austin as I laughed.

I plated quite a few sandwiches on a few types of bread, and also put out the small veggie platter I'd prepared last night, along with some potato chips and dip.

"Right on time," Charlie said when he saw the food. Phil wandered over right behind him.

While my dad talked to Liam and Phil, I wiped off Austin's hands and face and took his sandwich, a juice box, and a Christmas cookie over to the coffee table. He dove right into his lunch, and just like last night, Renée got down on the floor and talked with him while he ate.

"There's sandwiches and a veggie platter if you want some," I said to Sue and Emmett.

"I'm afraid they might mistake my hand for food if I get too close," Sue said warily as she looked at the hungry guys gathered around the breakfast bar.

"You did a great job on everything," New Business said. "Everybody's happy."

I leaned over and rapped my fist on the coffee table.

"Knock on wood," I said as they laughed. "Let's just hope it stays like this."

Harry was next to arrive with his casserole in tow.

"Merry Christmas," he said brightly.

"Merry Christmas to you," I replied as I hugged him. "It's always nice to see you out of uniform."

He laughed deeply. "Even lifers like me get a break every now and then. Where's Maggie? She's not answering her phone."

"She said she was going to church," I said.

"Oh that's right," he said as he stepped inside.

I took his coat and casserole and introduced him to my parents.

"Everyone this is Harry, Maggie's boyfriend."

They all greeted him and he eagerly shook everyone's hand.

"Do you have family in the area?" Sue asked. I wondered that too; it seemed like he'd have been with them instead of here if he did.

"I do," he said. "I just came from my daughter's place. When my ex-wife showed up, it was time for me to leave."

"Don't do it," I said to Charlie who was clearly about to make a joke. He laughed at me, then turned to Harry.

"Did I hear Bella say you're not in uniform?" Charlie asked.

"You did," he said. "I'm a cop. Seattle PD."

Sue and Renée groaned as I laughed.

"You don't say," Charlie replied eagerly. "I'm a cop too. In Forks."

"He's the chief of police, actually," I said, "but he doesn't like to brag."

Charlie beamed with pride. "Why should I brag when you do it for me?"

Harry laughed his booming laugh and began talking with my dad, who'd settled in at the counter again next to the plate of sandwiches.

"Boy, they look good," Harry said looking at the plate.

"Help yourself," Charlie said. "There's plenty."

"Mountain Dew?" I asked Harry with a smirk.

He laughed. "No, I'll take water if you don't mind. I'm cutting back on the soda."

I handed him a bottle of water as everyone talked with him. I made space for Harry's green bean dish in the filled-to-bursting refrigerator, then decided I'd better change into my 'good' clothes since it was almost 12:30. While in my bedroom, I texted Christmas greetings to Alice and Jasper, then returned to the living room where Gianna, Kim, and Henry had come in and made themselves at home with the others.

Everyone appeared to be enjoying each other's company as they talked and got to know one another. I could only hope it stayed that way.

* * *

After checking my pot roast, I floated between all the conversations around the room. First I sat with Phil, Liam, and Emmett.

"What do you do, Liam?" Phil asked.

"I work for Ateara," he replied. "It's a big warehouse distribution center."

"Commercial?" Phil asked.

"Yeah," Liam replied. "We store and transport for different clients. I'm one of the dispatchers. I schedule the drivers, assign equipment, keep track of everything in my area."

"He gets to yell at people all day, so he loves it," Emmett said as Phil and Liam laughed.

"I use a place like that back in Phoenix," Phil said.

"You have a business?" Liam asked.

"I have three franchises," Phil said. "A UPS store, a dry cleaner, and a nutrition-supplement store."

"Do you have kids?" Liam asked.

"No, I never wanted any," Phil said. "And I can't really count Bella. She's always been more mature than me or her mother."

"That's the truth," I said as they laughed.

"Is Kim your only child?" Phil asked.

Liam nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'm saving up bail money cuz I'll be kicking some ass when the boys start coming around. I already know it."

Phil howled with laughter as Liam chuckled.

"You think he's kidding," Emmett said as he shook his head. "He's not."

I moved over to Charlie and Harry who were, of course, talking about their respective police forces.

"I'm retiring in March," Harry said. "I can't wait. It's time. _Past_ time."

"I don't see me doing it for more than a few more years myself," Charlie said. "I used to think I'd get bored in retirement, but a buddy of mine just started doing fishing charters. He's making good money doing that. I've helped out a few times and I loved it. Now I see there's plenty I can do to keep busy if I want to."

Harry nodded. "I've been off the canine unit since they retired Champ, but I loved training the dogs," he said. "I'm definitely getting back into that. Too many people let their pets run wild."

"You could start by getting Champ to stop jumping on people," I said.

"It's not my fault Champ sees you as a suspect, Bella," Harry replied with a chuckle.

"She's never been good with animals," Charlie said, laughing at me.

I chuckled and moved on to the next conversation, where Henry and Kim were asking Sue about her heritage while Gianna looked on, alarmed.

"I apologize now for anything offensive they might say," Gianna mumbled as she shook her head.

"Are you Native American?" asked Henry.

Sue smiled. "Yes, I am. I'm Quileute."

"We went to Tillicum Village for our field trip last month," said Kim. "Do you live there?"

"No," Sue said, chuckling. "But I've visited there. I live in a place called La Push. It's right by Forks, where Bella's from."

"We went to the Burke museum and I saw all the Indian arty-facts for our field trip," said Henry proudly.

"I've been there," Sue said. "They have beautiful exhibits."

"We saw some artifacts on our trip too," said Kim.

"You two have to come visit me," Sue said. "I can show you a lot more."

Henry and Kim turned to me and Gianna eagerly.

"Your uncle Em promised to visit my dad," I said. "You two can come with us sometime, if it's okay with your parents."

"Take 'em," Gianna said as Sue and I cackled. "Anytime you want, just take them."

Maggie and Emily arrived at about one, rounding out the guest list. They'd both met my mom, and Emily had seen Phil outside of the holiday party, but neither one had met Charlie or Sue. I introduced everyone.

"You'll be fine," I whispered to Emily who looked extremely nervous. "It's just my family."

"I know," she said as I rubbed her back. "I just need to get adjusted. I don't get out much, as you know."

I laughed and she smiled a little. "Come on," I said. "I'll show you around."

When I turned to lead her down the hall, I noticed that all of the McCartys had gone silent as they watched her. I had to remember that even though she'd warmed up to me, Emily had serious anxiety issues and I needed to give her a little time, like she said.

"This apartment is so nice," she said when we reached the master bedroom.

"Thank you," I said. "I see you're still putting your hair up. It looks great."

"Thanks," she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. "I loved those earrings you gave me for Christmas. They were beautiful. I wish you hadn't spent so much."

"You don't know what I spent," I said as she chuckled. "I thought they'd look great on you. Thank you for my pictures of the boys. I put two of them up on the bookshelf and I'm taking the others to work."

Emily had framed several pictures of the boys as a gift from them to me for Christmas.

"I don't have much money," she said. "But I thought you'd like them. My boys really love you."

"I love them," I said. "The pictures and the boys."

She looked much calmer now as she sat and took in her surroundings.

"You can stay in here for a little while if you want," I said. "I can bring you something to drink or something to eat."

"Everyone's been raving about your Christmas cookies," she said.

"I'll bring you some," I said as I stood to leave. Before I reached the door, Liam knocked then poked his head in.

"Are you okay?" he asked his sister.

"I'm getting there," she said as she let out another breath.

He stepped inside, followed by New Business who shut the door.

"Ma's mad at us for bringing Austin here in his play clothes," Liam said, rolling his eyes.

"I had a Christmas sweater and his nice slacks and good shoes all laid out for him," Emmett said, mimicking his mother perfectly.

"His clothes are clean, that's all that should matter," Emily said as she shook her head. "Nobody else even cares."

"She wanted everything perfect for today and we already fucked up," Liam said as he laughed.

I slipped out of the room then without them even noticing. I was starting to realize why Maggie and my mom, who were talking and laughing together when I reached the kitchen, hit it off so well. As different as they looked outwardly, they were both far too concerned with appearances. It was fascinating.

I decided to bring Emily a bottle of water too so I took one from the fridge. As soon as my hand touched the cookie jar though, I attracted an audience.

"Can we have some?" asked Kim in a whisper. Henry had already looked around to see who might be watching. Maggie was still talking to Renée, and Gianna and Sue were talking in depth as well.

"I want cookie," said Austin.

"Shhh," said Kim as Austin giggled.

"Come with me," I said as I grabbed the whole cookie jar, along with the bottle of water and some napkins and took off down the hall. They followed, and we arrived in the master bedroom, giggling and laughing like we'd gotten away with something really big.

"Thanks," Emily said as she took the bottle of water from me. She pulled Austin up onto the bed with her; Henry climbed up too after he took his shoes off. I wrapped cookies in napkins and passed them out.

"Austin had a cookie with his lunch," I said as he snatched one away from Emily. "I'm not sure if you want him to have any more."

"It's fine," she said as she picked up another one and took a bite. "These are really good."

"Iss good," said Austin with crumbs all around his mouth.

Liam and Kim sat together eating their cookies in the armless accent chair in the corner, one of the 'accessories' Jeff had insisted we needed.

"Look at you two being so nice to each other for Christmas," I said to them with a smirk.

They both laughed.

"He's a good dad when he's not mad," Kim said as everyone laughed.

"She's a good kid when she's not getting on my nerves," Liam replied to more laughter.

"I wonder where I'll sit?" I asked as I grinned at New Business who sat on the other side of the bed from Emily.

"I would make a joke about how much weight this bed can hold, but I don't think that would be a good idea," Emmett said as we all cracked up laughing.

"That would've been a _very_ bad move for you," I said as I climbed up and sat on his lap.

"So your friend doesn't live here anymore, right Miss Bella?" Kim asked with a big grin.

"That's right. She moved out," I said.

"So you're here all by yourself?" asked Henry, barely able to stifle his laughter.

"What are you and your cousin getting at?" I asked as Kim and Henry giggled. "Let's not play games."

"I can see uncle Em's shoes in your closet," Henry said.

"Do you live with Miss Bella now?" Kim asked.

"Sometimes I live here, and sometimes I live with your grandma," Emmett said as he grinned at them. "Is that okay with you two detectives?"

Henry and Kim fell out laughing.

"It's okay with me," Kim said when she settled down.

"Me too," Henry said before he turned more serious. "But Grammy might be sad."

"Grammy will just have to understand," Emily said in her quiet voice. "We're all going to move out eventually."

I felt Emmett turn to look at her, and Liam and I did too.

"I like it there," Henry said, his eyes wide with concern. "I don't wanna go back where we lived before. I wanna stay near Kim."

"I know," Emily said as she hugged him. "If we leave, we'll stay in Seattle. I won't move us far away again."

"You promise?" Henry asked.

"I promise," she said as she kissed him on top of his head. "I moved where your daddy said we had to move before, even though I knew we shouldn't have. I won't do something like that again."

I certainly didn't know Emily as well as her brothers, but I got the distinct feeling that her words held a lot more meaning than it seemed on the surface. Maybe I should've let it go, but I couldn't.

"Emily, have you met someone?" I asked.

I felt Emmett's whole body go rigid against mine; Liam looked frozen in place as well. Even Kim's eyes had grown wide.

"Yes, Bella, I have," Emily said.

Even though she'd responded to me, Emily looked back and forth between her brothers. She didn't seem afraid though; she was resolved. I was glad I brought it up, so I pressed.

"Is it the guy from your therapy group?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, finally looking over at me. "I'm surprised that you noticed. You were only there the one time."

"I noticed," Emmett said curtly. "He walks out with you every week. When were you planning to tell us?"

I rubbed his arm and squeezed his hand to try to calm him down. If I was Emily, I'd have been afraid to say something too.

"I don't know," Emily said. "The smallest thing turns into a giant argument with us. You know that. We've been trying to figure out when to bring it up."

"We?" Liam asked gruffly, his voice rising. "What's his name? Who is this guy? How long has this been going on?"

Before she could answer, I decided to speak up on Emily's behalf. Emmett was still rigid, and Liam looked like he was getting angrier by the second.

"Emmett and Liam, please calm down," I said firmly. "I don't blame Emily one bit for being afraid to tell the family. But she's old enough to make her own decisions."

"And look how it worked out last time," Emmett said harshly.

"I was eighteen and desperate to leave home when I ran off with Tim," Emily said. "This is not the same thing. I'm a lot stronger now."

"You can't just bring random dudes around the boys," Liam said, trying to keep his temper in check.

"I know that, thank you," Emily said. "And he's one man, not random dudes. The boys are my whole world and I want them to have a good life. Nothing's more important to me than they are."

"Is he gonna be our new dad?" Henry asked.

"Not right now," Emily said as she smiled at him. "But he might be someday. Don't worry. He's nothing like your father. He's a very nice man and he works very hard."

"And he's getting counseling," I said as a reminder to her brothers. "It's always a good sign when people admit they need help."

"Which means he's already got problems," Emmett said as he glared at me.

"Brett's in therapy because he works at a bank and it was robbed," Emily said. "It really traumatized him. He loves his job, but he had to get help to be able to keep going back there. Not everyone there has my kind of issues."

"How long has this been going on?" Liam asked, sounding less agitated than before. New Business was breathing heavily but his body had relaxed a bit.

"He was in the group when I started in March," Emily said. "We've been friends since then."

"Almost a year and we knew nothing about this," Emmett said, shaking his head.

"You could've at least told me," Liam said.

"I've been taking my time getting to know him," Emily said.

"Have you been on a date with him?" Kim asked. "You're always at home."

"We've been on a few," Emily said. "But mainly we talk on the phone and at the sessions. Sometimes when I said I had doctor's appointments, I really went out with Brett."

I felt Emmett turn to look at Liam who was shaking his head.

"Do you really like him, mom?" Henry asked.

"I do," Emily replied. "I think you and your brother would like him too. He doesn't have any children and he really wants to meet you."

"I wanna meet him," Henry said with conviction.

"So do I," said Emmett tightly.

"What're we gonna do about Grandma?" Kim asked. "She's gonna be mad. Really mad."

"Kimmy's right," Liam said. "And we all know it."

"Before everybody goes falling in love with this guy, we need to meet him," Emmett said. "Ma's gonna be mad, but I'm sorry she has a right to be. You can't just spring this on us after everything that happened to you before. You should have told us..."

"When should she have told you?" I asked as I turned to face him. "When would you all have listened to her? I haven't been in this family long but I've seen enough. There's too much yelling and not enough listening."

"There's too much fighting," Kim said quietly from her seat with her father.

"And arguing," Henry said sadly.

"Iss yell all da time," Austin said.

Just like yesterday, I realized that the little guy understood more than I thought.

"Even the kids can see it," I said. "So I ask you again? When would have been a good time for Emily to bring it up?"

"You made your point," Emmett said angrily as he glared at me again. "But we need to meet this dude if he's gonna be around the kids."

"Damn right," Liam said.

"He wants to meet the family," Emily said. "I'm the one who hasn't let him because I'm really not in a position to rock the boat right now. What if mom gets mad and puts me out? I don't think she'd do that, but you never know. What if she threatens to take the boys? Nothing's worth that."

"I agree that the family should meet him," I said. "Honestly, if he could come to dinner today, that would be ideal. Maggie wouldn't make a scene with all my family here."

I looked at Emmett and Liam who were again staring at each other.

"What do you think Emily?" I asked. "Would he come today if you asked him?"

"Definitely," she said. "But I don't want to ruin dinner. Mom's not going to be happy about this, no matter who's around."

"That's an understatement," Liam said with a dark chuckle.

"Why don't you let me talk to her?" I asked. "You stay in here and call him, and I'll go out and talk to her."

"I can't ask you to do that," Emily said.

"Miss Bella is the only person that gets you guys to be calm," Henry said. "She can do it."

"Henry's right," Kim said. "It's better with Miss Bella around. And we should meet this man because I don't want anything bad to happen to Henry and Austin."

"Nothing bad's gonna happen to them," Liam said as he hugged Kim to him. "We won't let it."

I stood up so that I could face New Business.

"What are you thinking?" I asked. "I don't want you mad at me. You know I'll be respectful to Maggie. But this needs to happen."

Everyone stared at Emmett who glared back at me. New Business was _not _happy with me right now.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm coming with you."

He stood and followed me to the door, then turned back to Emily.

"I'm trusting you," he said tersely. "You're about to bring this guy around the kids and into our house and Bella's. He_ better_ be on the up and up. Because if he's not..."

"He is," Emily said. "He's a good guy."

As soon as we shut the bedroom door behind us, New Business turned on me.

"Just so you know," he said with blazing eyes, "I am really fucking furious with you right now."

"Just so you know," I said with a chuckle, "I really don't fucking care. Emily's thirty years old and she has a right to date, no matter what mistakes she made with her ex."

"We don't even know this dude," he replied. "Now Ma's gonna get all upset. She has high blood pressure, in case you didn't know."

"If she minded her own business and stopped trying to control everybody, maybe she wouldn't," I replied.

"Her kids and grandkids are her business," he shouted.

"And her kids and grandkids have a right to live their own lives," I said. "We know two very important things about this guy: first of all, he works at a bank. Last time I checked, they don't let hardened criminals handle people's money."

"You don't have to be a hardened criminal to be a shitty person," he said.

"That's true," I said. "But we also know that he's in therapy. He's under the care of trained professionals. Whatever issues he has, he's getting help. That's a good thing."

"What's going on?" asked Renée as she sauntered down the hall. "Is this our first lovers' spat?"

I laughed and walked toward her. "Had to happen eventually right?" I asked. "We'll live."

"Good," Charlie said. "Don't start fighting til after we eat all this food."

I laughed and searched the room for Maggie. She'd already seen Emmett's expression as he'd just walked up behind me. The look on her face told me that she knew something was very wrong.

"Maggie, could we talk to you?" I asked. "It's kind of important."

"Should we all go ..." Gianna started to ask.

"You might as well stay," I said. "We're all family."

Phil sensed that something was wrong and he turned the television off. Emmett and I sat down on the sectional and Maggie sat down on the angled part right next to me.

"I'll just sit here in case Maggie needs me," Harry said as he sat beside her.

Phil, Renée, Gianna, Sue, and Charlie all left the living room to sit at the dining room table.

"Bella, you're making me nervous," Maggie said as she looked between me and Emmett. "What's wrong?"

"I won't drag this out," I said. "We've been talking with Emily and Liam and the kids."

"I wondered why you all ran off," she said, chuckling nervously.

"We started talking," I said, "and in the course of the conversation, Emily told us that she's been seeing someone."

"Yes, she sees several therapists," Maggie said. "She's always had bad nerves."

"I know she sees the doctors," I said. "But that's not what I mean. Emily told us that she's been dating someone for the last year. A man from her therapy group."

Somebody in the dining room gasped, probably Gianna. Maggie's face hardened.

"You can't be serious," she said as her eyes flickered between Emmett's and mine. "Not after Tim left her and the kids like he did. Em, is this true?"

"It's what she said," he replied. "She didn't just come out and tell us. Bella dragged it out of her."

"I had to drag it out of her because she was afraid to tell you and the family," I said.

Maggie stood. "I want to talk to her right now," she yelled.

I grabbed her hand to try to calm her. "Maggie, please," I replied. "Calm down."

I quickly glanced over at the table and Gianna was whispering with the others, probably trying to explain why such a seemingly normal thing was such a big deal in this family.

"Who is this guy?" she shouted. "She can't possibly be thinking about bringing him around those boys. I won't have it. Not in my house. She needs to worry about getting herself together instead of looking for a man."

"Maggie, sit down," Harry said with authority. Maggie looked at him, clearly stunned that he'd spoken to her like that, but she sat back down.

"Look how you're reacting," Harry said. "And you wonder why she was afraid to say something."

"Somebody has to think about those boys," Maggie shrieked. "Their father just left them and now she's bringing some new guy around. What is she thinking?"

"Maybe she's thinking that she wants to be happy," I said, slowly losing my cool. "Is that so wrong?"

"Look Ma, I'm not happy about this either," Emmett said. "But we need to meet this guy and check him out before this goes any further. She's calling him now to come over here for dinner."

"Here?" Maggie yelled. "We're all just getting to know Bella's family."

"Which is why I thought it would be the perfect time for everyone to meet him," I said. "I was the one who suggested she invite him here."

"You may think you're helping," she said to me. "But you don't understand."

"Help me out then," I said with attitude. "What am I not understanding? What am I not getting about a thirty-year-old woman not wanting to spend the rest of her life stuck at home?"

"Emily is not you," Maggie said. "She's different. She needs a lot of help."

"She's getting help," I said, my voice rising. "And forgive me for saying it, but I think you, Emmett, and Liam should get some too. There is such a thing as family counseling, you know."

She shook her head at me and chuckled darkly.

"I knew this was coming," she said. "I knew you'd get my son's hopes up, then tell him he's not good enough."

"Don't you _dare_ twist my words around like that," I shouted, finally losing control of my temper. "I love your son, and there is_ nothing_ wrong with him. But for some reason, he feels responsible for your whole family, and yes, I think he should get some help for that."

"That's enough," Emmett yelled. "That's _enough._ Bella's right, Ma. We could all use family counseling. Do you know what the kids said in there? Kim said she's tired of the fighting. Henry said we're always arguing. Austin, _who's only three years old_, said we yell all the time. That's not good."

There were several gasps from the dining room then. It did sound really bad when he put it like that.

"Fine then," Maggie said as her voice shook. "We'll all go to counseling and the doctors can blame me."

"Therapy is not always about fault or blame," Harry said as he put his arm around her. "It's about coping so that you can live the best possible life and move forward. I've been around this family a little while now and I know you all love each other. But every last one of you could use some counseling. Not just Emily. That's a fact."

I didn't realize that I was shaking until Emmett started rubbing my arms to calm me down.

"Ma, I'm just as concerned... and nervous... about Emily and this guy as you are," Emmett said. "But it's happening whether we want it to or not. Now that I've had a little more time to think about it, I think Bella's right. Today's as good a day as any for us to meet him."

He then turned to the others at the dining room table.

"Is everybody okay with Emily's friend coming over?" he asked.

Gianna, Sue, and Phil nodded.

"I think it's a great idea," Renée said.

"We got two cops, plus you and your brother here," Charlie said. "I think we can handle him."

I chuckled at my dad, who smirked back at me. I really loved that man. Now that the worst seemed to be over, I needed to keep things calm.

"Maggie, I apologize for raising my voice," I said.

"I'm sorry for what I said too," she replied as she started to cry. "I know you love my Em. I'm just scared you'll hurt him."

"He's it for me, like I told you before," I said. "You'll believe it in your own time, I guess. There's nothing else I can do to prove it. I'm going to get Emily now."

She nodded as Harry whispered to her and smiled at me. A timer went off in the kitchen and Gianna jumped up to get something out of the oven.

New Business grabbed me and hugged me before I could turn. "It makes me sick that you're right all the time, but I love you anyway," he said.

"So you've just admitted that I'm right all the time?" I asked.

"You heard me," he said as I turned to leave.

The master bedroom door was wide open, meaning that they'd all heard what was said.

Henry and Kim ran up and hugged me immediately.

"That was scary but you did good," said Kim.

"You make a good team with us," Henry said.

Austin lifted his arms for me to pick him up. When I did, he hugged me and kissed my cheek. Then he squirmed to get down, giggled, and followed his brother and cousin down the hall.

"Thanks for getting me sucked into family counseling," Liam said with a smirk.

"You need it more than anybody," I said as he chuckled then turned serious.

"Em's right," he said as he shook his head. "When the kids say that shit, it's a problem."

"I can make us all an appointment," Emily said. "I've been trying to get everyone to go; my therapist said a long time ago that we needed it."

Liam nodded, and left the room.

"Well now you have me to help you nag them," I said as she hugged me.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm so happy you're in the family now."

"Just know that you can talk to me about anything," I said. "Even this new guy. He is coming, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "He's on his way."

"You'd better go talk to your mom before he gets here then," I said.

We walked down the hall and she joined all of her family who were huddled around Maggie on the sectional talking together. All except Gianna, who was making the dough for her rolls in the kitchen.

"Holy fuck," she whispered. "One Christmas with you and all hell breaks loose."

I cracked up laughing as I pulled the asparagus out of the refrigerator. My parents gathered around the breakfast bar as I prepared my last dish.

"Leave it to you to get mixed up with a crazy family like this," Charlie said as he grinned and shook his head. This caused me to laugh harder.

"The whole time, we were sitting there like, 'Okay, she's dating. What's the big deal'," Phil whispered to more laughter.

"I like Maggie," Renée said, "but I was about to let her _have _it when she shouted at you like that."

"You went full Charlie Swan on her," Sue said, chuckling along with my dad.

"You seem too mild mannered to have much of a temper," Gianna said to Charlie.

Sue and Renée both laughed loudly. "You have no idea," Sue said. "When he gets mad, look out."

"If people would just listen to us and do what we say, we wouldn't have to get like that," I said with a grin.

"Exactly," Charlie said as we all laughed.

* * *

Emmett, Emily, Liam, Maggie, and Harry as well as the kids talked together for quite some time in the living room while Gianna and I prepared the meal.

"I can honestly say in all the years I've know them, that's the longest I've seen them talk without arguing," Gianna said as she looked over toward the living room.

"I can believe it," I said.

"It's almost time," Gianna said as she looked at the clock. "All that's left is my last batch of rolls and we'll be ready."

I walked over, stood in front of the door, and spoke to the room at large.

"Dinner's on schedule to start at three," I said to the delight of everyone. "So wash your hands, loosen your belt buckles, and do whatever else you need to do."

They all laughed as they scrambled into action.

"What can I help with?" Sue asked as she dried her hands on a paper towel.

"You could put some ice in a big bowl and line up all the sodas and drinks next to it on the breakfast bar," I said.

"Done," she replied.

"I'll slice up the ham," Harry said.

"Wasn't somebody bringing a booster seat for Austin?" I asked. "I don't see it anywhere."

"I'll get it," Emmett said. "It's in my car."

"Mom, can you start arranging these dishes and platters on the table?" I asked. "And be careful, they're hot."

"You got it," Renée said.

"Can we help with anything?" Kim asked after she and Henry returned from washing their hands.

"You two can keep Austin busy while your uncle gets his booster seat," I said.

"She means get away from the kitchen," Gianna said as they giggled and led Austin to the living room.

"I'll cut up the chicken," Maggie said happily, her earlier mood long gone.

"Uh, hey, everybody," Emmett said awkwardly when he returned. "I think Emily's friend is here."

We all stopped what we were doing as Emily walked to the open door. Her friend hadn't come alone. Two older people, likely his parents, stood behind him looking at all of us anxiously.

"Come on in," Emily said nervously to her friend. They all stepped inside and Emily shut the door behind them.

"Hi," her friend said brightly as he hugged her. "_Finally_."

Emily smiled back at him. "Finally," she said before she turned around to face us. "Everyone, this is Brett. My... boyfriend."

It dawned on me that it was my house, so I hastily made my way over while everyone stood around in stunned silence.

"Hi Brett," I said as I shook his hand. "I'm Bella."

"I've been wanting to meet you," he said with a warm smile. "Thank you for all you've done. These are my parents, Mary and Waylon."

"Hi," I said as I shook their hands.

None of the McCartys had yet to move, so I stood beside New Business.

"This is Emily's younger brother Emmett," I said. "I'm his girlfriend. There's a ton of people to meet, so that should help clarify things."

Brett and his parents chuckled and New Business finally came to and shook their hands.

"Nice to meet you," he said quickly. "Let me introduce the rest of the family."

I was glad he took over because Emily was clearly overwhelmed. But I could sense her relief that her secret was out. While I hung up their coats, I watched the rest of the introductions with great amusement and tried to figure out why Brett looked so familiar to me. It wasn't just that I'd seen him that day when we picked up Emily from therapy; he reminded me of someone.

He was a little shorter than Emily, and they shared the same thin, slight build. He had dark sort of shaggy hair and large bright eyes. That's when it hit me: Brett looked very much like the actor who played Frodo in the _Lord of the Rings_ movies. He also bore strong resemblance to both of his parents, especially since all three of them wore matching Christmas sweaters. However, whereas Brett was quite thin, his parents were both quite stout.

I turned my attention to Liam and Emmett to make sure that they behaved themselves. However, I should have been more concerned about the reactions of the kids.

"It's nice to meet you," Henry said as he shook Brett's hand. "You better be nice to my mom, _or else_."

"Be nice," said Austin with his best mean face as he stood behind his brother, pointing his little finger at Brett.

"I hope you treat aunt Emily good," Kim said with a stern face of her own. "If you don't, my dad and my uncle Em will have something to say about that, and you'll be sorry."

"I will," Brett said, stunned like the rest of us by their comments. "I promise I'll be good to Emily. I care about her a lot."

My mom and I caught each other's eye and snorted with laughter which set off a chain reaction around the room. The kids didn't care though, they continued to stare at Brett warily.

"This... relationship... is a complete surprise to me," Maggie said as she stood between her burly sons, "but it's nice to meet you. You seem like a nice young man."

"Thank you," Brett said.

"Okay we can talk over dinner," Charlie said loudly. "Let's get this show on the road."

That set off another round of laughter.

"I guess I'll say grace," I said as the room went quiet.

"Lord, we thank you for bringing all of us together for this meal. Some of us traveled a long way to get here, some of us didn't even know we'd be here at all when the day began, but we're here, together, because of your will. Thank you. Amen."

"That was beautiful," Mary said.

"Thank you," I replied as everyone began finding seats around the table. "Did you have dinner already?"

"My sister always has a Christmas brunch," she said. "We were still over there when Emily called Brett, but we wanted to be here to meet everyone. We hoped you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all," I replied.

Because we hadn't done place settings for the three extra people, there was a bit of a dispute about what to do about the seating. Finally, New Business stood and laid down the law.

"It's our place and we can make the rules," he said loudly. "Me, Bella, and Gianna will sit here on the barstools at the breakfast bar. We can hear everything just fine. It's not a problem."

"You're just as bossy as my daughter," Renée said as everyone laughed. "No wonder you two get along."

Finally, everyone settled in around the table and loaded their plates. I attacked my food like I'd been stranded in the desert without access to a meal. The stress of the day had clearly worn me out. I didn't like to toot my own horn, but all the food I'd cooked turned out great. But in truth, all the food tasted amazing.

My mom caught my eye again and smirked at me as she nodded her head toward Brett's parents. For people who'd supposedly eaten already, they piled more food on their plates than anyone. I smirked back at my mom and we continued eating. Everyone took turns commenting on the food.

"These rolls are _so _good," I said to Gianna. I tried to keep from moaning as the buttery bread melted in my mouth.

"Thanks," she said. "I love this asparagus. I've never made it before."

"I like it too," Kim said. "We never had it."

"That was Phil's request," I said. "I don't make it often."

Phil grinned at me as he kept right on eating.

"What's this corn dish?" Harry asked. "It's really good."

"Corn pudding," I said. "One of my coworkers in Phoenix used to bring it when we had potlucks, but this is my first time making it. I'm glad you like it."

"I'm not much of a ham person, but this is delicious," Sue said.

"It's easy," Maggie said. "I make it in the slow cooker."

"I think the macaroni and cheese is wonderful," Brett said as he grinned at Emily.

"I like everything," Henry said happily.

"I need to pace myself so I have room for dessert," Liam said as he rubbed his stomach.

My dad said nothing; he was too busy stuffing his face.

I was about halfway through my first plate when my phone rang.

"Be right back," I said as I reluctantly left my plate.

"I hate to bother you," Angie said. "But I'm calling to keep Charlie and Sue from getting stuck in traffic like we are. There's a bad accident on 101 and it's shut down in both directions in one spot. Are they leaving tonight?"

As that was the main road into Forks, I was glad that she'd called.

"They were," I said as I ran back to the dining room.

"Dad, Angie says there's a bad accident on 101 and it's shut down in both directions where they are," I said.

He immediately stood up. "Let me talk to her," he said. He took the phone and stepped into the hallway.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" I asked Sue.

"No, we're both off until Friday," she said.

"That traffic will be messed up all night," Renée said. "You should stay here tonight. There's plenty of room."

"Take that olive branch," I said to Sue. "It's the best Christmas gift you'll ever get from my mom."

Everyone howled with laughter as Renée slapped my leg.

Charlie gave me my phone, then pulled out his own and walked into the living room. From the sound of it, he'd called one of his officers to get more information and make sure everything was okay in Forks.

My phone rang again, just as I was about to sit back down.

"I wasn't done talking to you but Charlie hung up on me," Angie said indignantly as I laughed.

"Sorry," I said.

"Is everything going okay at the dinner?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied. "There's a lot going on."

"Ooh, cryptic," she said with a chuckle. "I'm sure Renée will tell me all about it tomorrow. I'll let you get back to dinner. Bye."

I ended my call and returned to the dining room. I saw several empty plates, so I cleared some of the empty serving dishes and refilled them with the food being kept warm in the oven. Gianna put out more rolls.

"We should probably start slicing the desserts while we're in here," Gianna said.

She laughed when I looked longingly at my plate of food.

"You can reheat that," she said as I laughed.

"Speaking of dessert, I have a surprise for you," I said. I pulled down the box on top of the refrigerator in which I'd hid the almond pound cake I'd baked for her.

"Oh my god, I freaking love you," she said when she saw it.

"I didn't want to tell you I'd make it in case I ran out of time, but I made it yesterday when I did the others," I said. "It's all for you to take home. You kept raving about the other one."

"That was called dropping hints," she said as I cackled.

"I'll feel guilty about taking the whole thing since we have extra people," she said. "Just give me half to take home. But make the half more like two-thirds."

Again we laughed as we readied the desserts.

* * *

All the guests lavished me with praise once we finished dinner and dessert. Well, New Business kind of forced them to.

"I know a lot of people helped put this dinner together," he said, "but nobody did more than Bella. I had my doubts, but you pulled it off. I just wanna say on behalf of everybody, thank you."

I could feel my face flush as he hugged me tightly.

"Trust me," I said with a grin, "he wasn't that happy with me a few hours ago."

Everyone fell out laughing before they all thanked me individually.

But we knew there was more serious conversation to be had between Emily and Brett's families. Emmett set up one of his video games in the living room to keep Kim and Henry busy so the adults could talk. Austin entertained himself with his play-a-sound books.

I took charge as everyone sat around awkwardly.

"I know that everybody will offer to help clean up," I said. "But we all know that it's important that your families talk. Dinner was nice, but we didn't even know about Brett until a few hours ago so I know some people still have concerns. My family can help me clean up while you all talk."

Brett, his parents, and the McCartys all agreed. They took a little break to put their dishes in the kitchen, use one of the bathrooms, or take a stretch outside.

"You're very good at taking charge," New Business said as he hugged me from behind.

"Somebody has to do it," I said as I spun around to face him.

He leaned down and kissed me quickly, which earned us teasing from Liam and Gianna.

"You two are ridiculous," I said.

"We're not the ones in here sucking face," said Liam.

We laughed with them until most everyone had re-assembled around the table. I gave instructions to my parents as the families began to talk.

"Phil, you take out the trash and recycling," I said. "Dad, you load the dishwasher. Mom and Sue, you put together some to-go plates in the containers I just put on the counter. I'm going to try to make some space in the refrigerator."

"And whatever your job is," Renée whispered, "be quiet so we can listen in."

My parents began their tasks without complaint as Brett's family and the McCartys finally started talking.

"Brett's been telling us he's been seeing someone for months now," Mary, Brett's mother, said.

"We wondered why we couldn't meet her or her family," said his father, Waylon. "We knew he met her in therapy, so we knew she had some issues, but we just couldn't understand what the harm would be in meeting her."

"The last year was very hard on us," Maggie said defensively. "I've been trying to keep the family together as best I could. Maybe I've been a little overprotective with Emily."

"That's understandable," Mary said. "But I'd like to know from Emily what exactly happened with the children's father. I don't like the idea that he's out there somewhere. He could come back at any time, and where would that leave my son?"

"I wondered the same thing," Sue whispered to my mom who nodded.

"What happened to Tim - - their father - - is a long story," Emily said. "I wouldn't even bother to tell it to you, but I care for Brett and you're his parents and you should know."

"Emily means so much to me," Brett said as he reached over and held her hand. "I really want us to work because I don't think anyone will ever understand me like she does. That's why I gave her the bracelet."

"What bracelet?" Emmett asked.

My family and I gave up all pretense of what we were doing in the kitchen as we watched the scene at the table unfold. Emily pulled back her sweater sleeve to reveal a beautiful silver bangle bracelet adorned with an open heart at the end.

"I think that's Tiffany," Renée whispered like I knew what she meant.

"This was his Christmas gift to me," Emily said with a smile. "It's so beautiful."

"So are you," Brett said.

New Business and Liam looked at each other and rolled their eyes in very brotherly fashion.

"Our life growing up was hard, very hard," Emily said. "My brothers can tell you. Our dad was older and he had dementia. I lived in constant fear of him."

"Oh stop it," Maggie said. "He never hurt you. He loved you."

"This is how Emily feels," Harry said to her. "Don't dismiss that."

Maggie sighed and crossed her arms.

"My dad was a big man," Emily said. "He was as tall as Emmett, and as big as Liam. Mom's right, he did love us. But when he got sick, he was very unpredictable. My brothers could handle him and be firm with him, but I'd always been nervous and anxious anyway, and he terrified me."

"Emily, stop this," Maggie said again. "It wasn't..."

"Ma, it was hell," Liam said as Gianna rubbed his back. "Stop trying to sugarcoat what we went through."

"Nobody blames you," Emmett said quietly to his mother. "But we had it bad. You did too. Emily's right."

Maggie removed her glasses, picked up a napkin, and dabbed at her eyes. Sue and my mom reached for napkins as well.

"Tim's family had their own problems," Emily said. "Both his parents were alcoholics. He basically raised himself. In high school, we had a lot of classes together and we were both sort of outcasts, so naturally we connected. I was always awkward and nervous, like I said; it's why I never learned how to drive. My nerves are too bad."

"I have a sister like that," Waylon said. "Social anxiety disorder is what she has."

Emily nodded. "My dad got worse and worse when we were in high school. Sometimes he'd wander the neighborhood talking out of his mind. We were bullied and teased all the time because of it."

I could see both Emmett and Liam tense up at her words; I probably should have gone to comfort New Business, but it was like I was frozen in place, mesmerized by her words.

"Tim was my only friend outside of my brothers," Emily said. "He already had a job in high school, and when he told me he was getting his own place and wanted me to move in with him, I jumped at the chance to leave home. Liam had already moved out. I hated to leave my mom and Emmett. But they could handle daddy. I couldn't."

It was obvious that the kids were listening in as well, as no noise could be heard from the video games or books. I looked over at them: Kim and Henry sat huddled together, with Austin sitting on Kim's lap.

"My mom was angry that I left, but she had her hands full with my dad," Emily said.

"I couldn't stop her," Maggie said as she wiped away her tears, "but I worried every day. I hoped she'd make it, but I knew that boy was bad news."

"It started out okay," Emily said. "I basically was a housewife, even though we weren't married. After a while, we both decided we wanted a child and we had Henry. Things were going okay. I was very stressed and nervous with the baby, but I managed."

I saw a few tears fall down New Business's face as well. Finally able to move, I sat beside him and placed my hand on his back. He smiled down at me sadly.

"Tim had an aunt who lived in Port Angeles and he'd lived with her for a little while when he was growing up," Emily said. "She died and left him her house, and he decided he wanted to move there. It was fine with me because I'd never traveled anywhere and by that time, I didn't see my family all that much anyway."

Liam, Maggie, and Emmett hung their heads a little.

"I had a really hard time adjusting in Port Angeles and I started going to an anxiety group there," Emily said. "The therapist was really worried about me and put me on antidepressants. They weren't supposed to interfere with my birth control but they did. When I got pregnant with Austin, that was the beginning of the end."

"He didn't want him, did he?" Liam asked.

"No," Emily said.

"We didn't see you guys much, but I never once saw him hold Austin," said Gianna, who wiped tears from her eyes.

"He completely ignored him," Emily said. "He started a new job and a lot of the guys he worked with were really rough types. Tim started spending a lot of time with them. That made me more anxious. I knew then that he wasn't the same guy I'd known in high school. We'd been growing apart but I didn't know what to do. I certainly didn't want to go back home."

Maggie sobbed then and Harry whispered something to her.

"By the time I had Austin, Tim had already started distancing himself from us," Emily said. "When we came back here for daddy's funeral, I was so miserable I thought about staying in Seattle. I really did. But I didn't want to live back at home in that house if I could help it, and I didn't want to impose on Liam and Gianna, so I went back."

"Tim was a lot different at the funeral," Emmett said. "We all noticed it."

"He'd definitely changed for the worst," Liam said.

"We thought about asking you and the boys to stay with us," Gianna said. "But we knew you wouldn't. Now I wish we'd have said something."

Gianna broke down in tears as Liam tried to comfort her, which caused Maggie to do the same. Brett's mother wiped her eyes too.

"Nothing was ever the same when we got back," Emily said. "It was over, it was just a matter of who would end it first. I'd actually made a friend, a neighbor down the street, an elderly woman who lived by herself. She told me all the time that I needed to leave before something bad happened. Tim was definitely doing some shady things by that point and I knew she was right."

"Was it you who left him then?" I asked, unable to remain silent.

"No," Emily said. "I planned to. I made up my mind. I put all my important papers and things into a bag so I could be ready to leave. But Tim left first. I took Austin to the doctor's one day and when I got back home, everything of value was gone. I never for a second thought we'd been robbed. I knew it was Tim."

My mom let out a sob at this point and Phil wrapped her in a hug.

"I took my bag and went down to the neighbor's and she called the police. I didn't want her too, but she said it was important to show that he'd left us. She went with me to meet Henry at the school bus and we went back to her house, not ours. As young as he was, Henry seemed relieved."

Henry ran over and hugged Emily then. "I hated it there with him," he said. "He wasn't like he used to be. He didn't want us anymore."

I started crying then, and I didn't think there was anybody in the room who didn't at least have watery eyes.

Emily held Henry and he sat on her lap and leaned against her. Maybe the kids shouldn't have been here to listen to all this, but sadly, there wasn't much that these kids hadn't heard or seen.

"My neighbor asked me to live with her, believe it or not," Emily said with a smile. "She was very lonely. But I knew I needed to come back home. It was the best thing for the boys. I called Emmett and he came and got me."

"So that's how you knew where Port Angeles was," I said to Emmett.

He nodded. "Yeah," he said.

"It's a beautiful place," Emily said. "I think so anyway. I'd love to go see my friend someday. We write each other every now and again. We wouldn't have made it without her."

"You can stop by on the way to visit us," Charlie said with a smile as he looked at Sue.

"I'd love that," Emily said as she finally started to cry.

"I don't mean to make things worse here," Mary said, "but aren't you worried about the father coming back?"

Henry looked up in alarm but Emily held him tightly. Brett's father spoke before Emily could.

"I'm sure you could do something to end his parental rights, especially since he abandoned the children," he said. "I'm no lawyer, but I know someone who went through something like that recently."

"We have a great lawyer for Emily and she's working on it," New Business said. "Because it's the legal system, shit takes forever, but she's already filed papers or motions about it. But apparently, it's really hard to completely take away a parent's rights here."

"The lawyer told us that if he ever did show back up, there's basically no chance he'd even be allowed to see them because of the way he left," Maggie said. "Emily wasn't even working. He was their only income. It's been over a year now and nobody can find him. He completely abandoned them and that wouldn't look good in court at all."

"He can't take us?" Henry asked.

"I won't lie to you and say that he can't," Emily said. "But I'll put it like this. It would be really really really really hard for him to even get to see you. And that's a lot of reallys."

Henry smiled and hugged her as I dabbed at my eyes. I had no idea all this had been going on. One more thing on New Business's giant plate of responsibility.

"Especially since both boys are in counseling because of it too," Harry said. "The courts are supposed to consider how the child's life would be affected if the parent were back in it. Things are a little different if Emily meets someone who wants to adopt the boys, but that's getting ahead of ourselves."

"Me and Henry were worried about his dad coming back to take him away," Kim said.

I hadn't even noticed her walk over with Austin as she sat beside her mother and pulled Austin onto her lap again.

"I should have told you more," Emily said to Henry. "But I didn't want you to worry. Looks like you were worried anyway."

"There's not enough talking in this family," Gianna said, still crying, as she hugged her daughter. "And that needs to change. There's too much anger and not enough talking."

"That's why Emily was afraid to tell us about you," Liam said to Brett. "If she'd told us, I guarantee it would have been the fight to end all fights. Ma would've yelled at her to think about the boys instead of herself. I would've yelled at Ma that Emily needs to live her own life, and Em would've yelled at me not to yell at Ma. That's what we do. It's completely fucked up, but that's what we do."

"We're in no position to judge," said Mary as she smiled sadly at her husband. "We have our own share of family drama with some of Waylon's family and mine. That's why for the most part, we keep to ourselves. It may have made Brett a little sheltered but at least there's a lot of love in our house."

"I'm thirty-two and I still live at home with my parents," Brett said, looking around at us nervously. "So yes, I'd say I'm sheltered. But I know I can't live there forever. It's not good for any of us. It's one of the reasons Emily and I connected. We had a lot in common."

New Business and I smiled at each other. It was one of the things that had connected us too.

"What do you do for a living, Brett?" Charlie asked.

"I'm an assistant branch manager," he said. "I work for Bank of America. I have a good job and I'm a decent guy, but I've never been very good with women. I'm too shy. I probably should've seen a therapist years ago, but I was embarrassed, I guess."

"Sad to say, there is a stigma attached to seeking counseling, especially among men," Harry said.

"There is," Brett said in agreement. "But when our branch got robbed, I knew I had to do something. I love my job and I didn't want to let fear force me to find a new one. My therapist helped a lot and he recommended the anxiety group. I never would've met Emily if I hadn't gone for counseling. I think she's a great person. I can't tell you how happy I am that we don't have to be a secret anymore."

"I'm happy this has happened too," Waylon said. "He's our only child and he's a great kid. When he told us he was dating a woman with two kids, we were afraid it would be some gold digger out for his money. I know it's a mean thing to say, but that's what we thought."

"We had some _thoughts_ about Brett too," Emmett said as he and Liam burst out laughing. Maggie and Harry chuckled too.

"I was worried about the boys," Maggie said. "I didn't want them around another loser. But I should have trusted Emily. She's stronger than I give her credit for. I'm sorry."

She started crying and sobbing again.

"Thanks, mom," Emily said as she reached out and held her mom's hand.

"This was a really good talk," I said quietly to Emmett.

"Yeah, it was," he said. "All thanks to you."

"I get shit done, what can I say?" I bragged as he laughed and kissed me on the lips.

"I know this was a shock for everybody," Emily said, "but I want to thank my mom and brothers for actually listening. Brett's important to me. We're not saying we're getting married or anything right away, but we're committed to getting to know each other better."

"I'm so happy this worked out like it did," Brett said. "Our families all getting together like this. It's a great Christmas gift."

"I still have some concerns," Maggie said, "but I agree this was a great start. Thank you for coming to meet with us on short notice like this."

"We're the lucky ones," Waylon said. "The food here was ten times better than at my sister-in-law's."

That comment effectively generated much laughter, and relieved much of the heaviness in the room.

"All that talking made me hungry again," Harry said as he scrounged around the kitchen for more food.

"Help yourself to whatever you see," I said to him.

I walked over to Maggie who was quietly listening to her grandchildren talk. I stood behind her and draped my arms around her neck.

"I'm proud of you future mother-in-law," I said as everyone chuckled. "I know it was hard for you hearing some of that, but you did great."

She laughed as she patted my arm. "You are one tough cookie," she said. "I might have underestimated you."

"You just remember that the next time you try to nag us about marriage and kids," I said as I let her go.

Brett, Waylon, and Mary smiled at me before Mary turned her attention to the kids.

"What schools do you go to?" she asked them. "I used to teach third grade."

Kim and Henry readily told her about their schools, teachers, and classes as the rest of us talked amongst ourselves and nibbled on more food well into the evening. At about eight, someone knocked on the door.

"I don't know who this could possibly be," I said as everyone stopped and turned to it.

I opened the door to find Angie and Ben, both of whom looked disgusted, tired, and exhausted.

"Feed us please," Angie demanded as she stumbled inside. "We don't have anything good to cook at home, we've been stuck in that car for seven freaking hours, and everything's closed."

"We're begging," Ben said tiredly. "We've been stuck in the car so long because of the traffic, we don't think the food we brought home is safe to eat."

"Come on in, there's plenty left. No need for begging," I said as I took their coats.

I'd just turned to introduce them when Mary and Angie saw each other and screamed at the same time.

"Angela!" Mary shouted as she stood and raced to Angie.

"Mary!" Angie yelled in reply as they grabbed each other and hugged.

"Okay, this seals the deal," Mary said with a blinding smile. "Anybody who knows Angela is good people."

"How are you here?" Angie asked.

"Brett's dating Emily," Mary said as Angie's mouth fell open comically.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend," Angie said to Emily who laughed harder than I'd ever seen her laugh.

"Neither did we until today," said Liam with a chuckle.

"Mary used to be the assistant principal at the school," Angie said to me.

"She just retired last year," Waylon said as he grinned at Angie.

Angie obviously knew him too, and Brett. She ran over and hugged them both.

"I take it you're not with Eric anymore?" Mary asked as she looked at Ben.

"No, we broke up," Angie said. "This is Ben, my fiancé."

"Good," Mary said. "I didn't like Eric for you. As the kids say, this young man is an upgrade."

That sent everyone laughing again, Ben most of all.

"This is too much," Angie said as she shook her head. "I need to pee, then eat. I'll be right back."

There were so many people here, I couldn't remember who Ben had or hadn't met before, so I just introduced him to everybody.

When everyone settled back around the dining room and kitchen to talk to Ben and Angie, Emily and Brett slipped off to the living room with Austin and Henry to talk in private.

"Look at that horrible dude around your nephews," I said to Emmett with a smirk, "what are we gonna do about him?"

He pinched me on my ass. "Don't get cocky, Madam Bad-Ass," he said as I cackled. "Just be happy it all worked out."

"I am," I said as I squeezed his cheeks with my hand and kissed him on the lips.

"I really really really really am."

* * *

**A/N:**

**1. I apologize for the delay in posting! I lost count of how many versions of this chapter I wrote. I like how it worked out though. I hope you do too :) **

**2. The parental rights legal issue is a difficult one to research; I tried to explain the process as best as I could understand it. **

**3. I'll be putting a picture of Sue's ring and Emily's bracelet in Chapter 12 on the blog (link in profile). **

**4. As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13: Double Chapter

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters.**

**All I can say is, pace yourselves :)**

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 13:  
Double Chapter**

**BPOV**

"Get the fuck out of here," New Business said as I cackled into my cell phone. "No way in hell are you at work already. It's only... 6:17. No fucking way."

"Believe what you want, but I'm here," I replied with a grin as I turned on my computers.

"Damn," he said as he yawned. "I'm still in bed."

"What time did you leave last night?" I asked.

"I thought we'd leave when you went to bed," he replied. "But everybody kept talking and eating. It was almost midnight when we left. I checked on you, but you were asleep so I went back to Ma's. She seemed okay after all the stuff with Emily, but I wanted to make sure."

At about nine last night, I told everyone gathered for Christmas dinner that they could stay as long as they wanted, but I needed to go to bed. They knew today would be a big day for me and they understood.

"I had no idea everybody stayed so long," I said. "I turned my little fan on to help block out the noise, then I took some Nyquil to make sure I fell asleep."

"You don't do that a lot do you?" he asked with concern.

"No, I don't," I replied. "But it's gonna be a long day and I had to get some sleep. I'm nervous."

"Don't be," he said firmly. "You're just as competent as Rose and Edward, and you'll be a way better manager than they are. You think on your feet, and you always look for solutions. You'll be great."

"Thank you," I said with real relief. "I needed that."

"I'm sorry I haven't really been there for you much this weekend," he said. "You've had a lot to deal with since that fucked-up party on Friday."

"It's not your fault," I said. "It's the holidays, and my parents are here. Our families needed to meet. I'm just glad it's all fucking over."

"Me too," he said.

"I better go," I said. "There's about ten 'high importance' e-mails from the chiefs staring me in the face right now."

He laughed. "You're one of them now," he said. "Goodbye, Chief Bad-Ass. I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"Love you too," I replied.

That little chat confirmed why my parents had all been asleep when I left this morning. I thought my dad and Phil, notorious early risers, would have been up to see me off. I could've used a little pep talk this morning. At least Charlie and Sue were staying until I got home tonight; they'd told me that before I went to bed last night.

I drank a sip of coffee and attempted to settle my nerves. New Business's words ran through my head.

"_You're just as competent as Rose and Edward, and you'll be a way better manager than they are."_

"He's right," I said aloud. "So calm down. You'll be fine."

I took and released a deep breath, found a clean page on my notepad so that I could jot down notes, then opened the oldest of the e-mails. Carlisle had sent it on Sunday, not long after I'd met with him and the chiefs. It contained an attachment with my new employment agreement, complete with the effective date through December 31, 2013 to verify that I'd stay for all of next year like I'd promised.

I quickly opened the attachment with the contract and almost fell out of my fucking chair. I'd always known that the chiefs made a shitload of money, but to see the number, the _six-figure number_, staring me in the face truly startled me. Less than six months ago, I'd been in Phoenix, living in my mother's basement. Never, _ever_ had I dreamed of making this kind of money.

**~ * NBG * ~**

Message 2 contained fairly shocking information: Tanya, queen of the Bitch Brigade and friend to Rose and Edward, had quit.

**From: **Rose Hale  
**Sent: **Sunday, December 23, 2012 1:45 PM  
**To:** Jasper Whitlock  
**CC: ** Edward Masen, Carlisle Cullen, Bella Swan  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **Tanya Denali

See note from Tanya.

**From: **Tanya Denali  
**Sent: **Sunday, December 23, 2012 1:22 PM  
**To: **Rose Hale  
**Subject: **Resigning

I'm resigning as of this moment. I won't be back at ATS. This company doesn't fit me anymore. You have my address for final papers.

**~ * NBG * ~**

Because I was no dummy, I knew full well that there was much more to this story. She'd sent that note in the office, just a few hours after I'd left. I'd wondered briefly after the meeting how they'd continue with Tanya still an employee. Caius said she'd been the one telling all manner of ATS gossip, rumor, and innuendo to his sisters and who knew who else.

One of the chiefs must have decided that she needed to go. I didn't know which one of them had the guts to propose getting rid of her, but that person had earned a bit of my respect. I bet they'd called her in to let her go, and allowed her to save face by 'resigning'. The question was, why now?

**~ * NBG * ~**

More light was shed on the Tanya situation by Message 3. She wasn't the only one out at ATS; her cronies were too.

**From: **Edward Masen  
**Sent: **Sunday, December 23, 2012 7:47 PM  
**To: **Bella Swan  
**CC:** Rose Hale, Carlisle Cullen  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **Staffing/Alice

Bella

We made some decisions re: staff after you left

Met w Tanya (sales): quit  
Met w Jessica (sales): fired (poor work)  
Met w Irina (IT): fired (inapprop behav w client)  
Maria (IT): quit over Jessica (her cousin)

I need new exec asst: want Alice

**~ * NBG * ~**

"I knew they had bad attitudes," I said. "But I _thought_ they were good workers."

Jessica "fired for poor work": why now? Maria was Jessica's cousin and had quit? Did she not need her job?

And then there was the kicker: Irina fired for "inappropriate behavior with a client." I instantly thought of that box of condoms Jasper told us had been found in the meeting room; in my gut, I knew the two incidents were somehow related. Unreal.

As far as Alice working for Edward, I'd leave that decision to her. I had some concerns about how Alice and I would function with the two of us being close friends; still, Alice had handled Caius with ease and knew this company inside and out. I needed her more than he did, but I'd let her choose. I quickly sent her an e-mail so that she wouldn't be blindsided.

**~ * NBG * ~**

When I read Message 4, I screamed, then laughed.

**From: **Ed Money  
**Sent: **Monday, December 24, 2012 7:40 AM  
**To: **Jasper Whitlock  
**CC:** Edward Masen, Rose Hale, Carlisle Cullen, Bella Swan  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **Jessica Stanley

Jasper  
Per other message, yesterday I fired Jessica Stanley  
She was ok at the time said little

BUT I just got this at home email  
Sending to you and exec team re: veiled threats to ATS

To discuss on Wed

**From: **Jessie S. Sexxxie

**Sent:** Monday, December 24, 2012 2:16 AM  
**To:** Ed Money  
**Subject:** FUCK YOU!111111111

FUCK U FUCK you for firin me aftr all the shit ive done 4 you. You will be fuckin sorry you did this. TRUST ME. I no shit about ATS you thought I was to dumb to understand. So fukin funny how you say I'm not professional but you hired sombody you fucked. Whose looks dumb right now. Not me. Youll be sorry. Oh yah, on the subject of fucking, I gag on yur brother you dont even reach the back of my mouth SIR LITLE DICK. He gets to suck my tits now maybe yur mom will let you back on hers

You r and uptight asshole and I wont foget you did this to me

**~ * NBG * ~**

And _that's_ why Jessica got fired. I chuckled and shook my head.

"_Ed Money_," I said as I rolled my eyes. "What a douche."

Once this message sank in a bit longer, I got mad. Really really mad. Edward fucked Jessica, Irina probably fucked a client, but according to all the rumors,_ I _was the whore? Nothing _ever_ happened between me and Caius.

"I'm calling those bastards_ out_ on that shit," I said bitterly as I moved on to Message 5 from Carlisle, sent Monday morning.

He confirmed that he wanted Jake to take over for him as CFO and he outlined his plan for the finance team. Carlisle went into great detail, and I skimmed over most of it, but there were some portions that proved enlightening.

**~ * NBG * ~**

Bella,

After meeting with you yesterday, Edward, Rose, and I discussed the state of ATS at length. Your level of honesty regarding your experiences challenged us to take a hard look at each and every position in the company.

With the staff hired in the last few months (a direct result of the assessments you performed for Caius), we feel that we have a strong team of administrative and support staff in place to withstand a number of important changes for the future.

**~ * NBG * ~**

"If you knew what the hell you were doing, you would've made some of those changes before I ever got here," I mumbled.

I kept reading, stopping at what he'd written about Jake and Ben.

**Jacob Black:** Jake, a CFA, has been our financial analyst, exclusively focusing on financial forecasts and models relating to ATS's positioning and growth within the technology sector. I would like for him to replace me as CFO. I am extremely confident that he will succeed at overseeing all financial, accounting, and team-management functions.

"I didn't know Jake was a CFA," I said. "He seems like such a frat-boy party guy."

I knew that Jake, Shelly, Carmen, and Ben of the finance team were collectively great at their jobs, but I hadn't known that they all had CFA or CPA certifications until I read Carlisle's e-mail. Those took_ a lot _of time and effort to achieve; ATS was damn lucky to have each one of them. I eagerly moved on to Ben's write-up.

**Ben Cheney: **Ben, a CPA, currently handles accounts payable. He is far over-qualified for his job. When hired, he confided that he'd worked for his family's business (Cheney Medical) in a high-level capacity since college. By coming to us, he said he wanted a new experience. Caius and I were pleased to have him; we all know Cheney and the amount of money they manage. We knew that he probably needed a break from the pressure, even though that's not what he said. We always hoped to expand his role based on his background and training. I'd like to change Ben's title to accountant, focusing on debt and revenue management, while processing all payables and receivables. Ben is diligent and courteous; he'll do well in this new capacity.

"I wonder if Angie knows all this stuff about Ben," I said in surprise.

From the sound of it, Ben made the decision to remove himself from a high-pressure environment so that he could settle down and _enjoy_ his life. A life that now included my best friend.

In the last portion of Carlisle's note, he indicated that he wanted to bring in an intern for the team. I thought that was an excellent idea, and I made a note to talk to my own team about the same thing.

**~ * NBG * ~**

Rose and Edward indicated their staffing needs in Messages 6 and 7, and they also noted that they too loved the idea of having interns on their teams.

I had to admit: based on the messages I'd read so far, Carlisle, Rose, and Edward seemed serious about improving and growing the company.

**~ * NBG * ~**

Message 8 read like something out of a romance novel.

"Irina has a heart?" I remarked. "She damn sure fooled me."

**From: **Rose Hale  
**Sent: **Monday, December 24, 2012 4:13 PM  
**To: **Jasper Whitlock  
**CC:** Edward Masen, Carlisle Cullen, Bella Swan  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **Irina Young

Read this. FYI: Client is Steve Marks, VP, Ribbon Automotive. We can discuss on Wednesday.

**From:** irinayoung526  
**Sent: **Monday, December 24, 2012 3:53 PM  
**To: **Rose Hale  
**Subject: **No hard feelings

Since you called me into the office yesterday, I've been debating whether to write this. But I have to: I owe you. I knew the day would come that Steve and I would be found out. I knew, and know, that it's wrong to mix business and pleasure, but sometimes, love happens, do you know what I mean?

I've enjoyed working for you and will always maintain my friendship with Tanya, Jess, and Maria.

Steve's offered me a job with his company and he assures me that he will continue to use ATS. He likes what you've done for him.

I am so sorry to have put you in this position but thanks for the opportunity to work for you. I learned so much. Happy Holidays :)

**~ * NBG * ~**

If I hadn't seen Irina's bitch-tastic behavior in the past with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that she'd authored such a thoughtful, reflective note. Her e-mail, so in contrast to her normal demeanor, was just further proof to me that I worked with a bunch of certifiable head cases.

It was close to seven now and I was honestly surprised none of the other chiefs had accosted me yet. I hurriedly moved to Message 9, a hilarious note of congratulations from Jake entitled "We Got This"; clearly, Carlisle had already offered him the CFO job and he'd accepted. With a smile, I replied to Jake with my congrats for him.

I noticed that all of the messages had been sent on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. It was painfully obvious that while I'd been cooking and enjoying time with my family on the days leading up to Christmas, Carlisle, Rose, and Edward had been discussing the company. No matter how much they'd done to me, I still found it sad that they'd rather work than spend time with their family at the holidays.

**~ * NBG * ~**

Messages 10 and 11 were sent from Carlisle on Christmas day.

"I'd love to see everyone's faces when they see this agenda," I chuckled as I read it myself.

**From: **Carlisle Cullen  
**Sent: **Tuesday, December 25, 2012 4:43 PM  
**To: **ATS Staff (All)  
**CC:** Rose Hale, Edward Masen, Bella Swan, Jacob Black  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **Mandatory Meeting, Wed. 9 AM

Welcome back, team. I trust that you had a wonderful break.

As you know, Friday's holiday party featured several unfortunate oversights and a good deal of resultant drama. A number of very significant changes have occurred since then, and we need to discuss them immediately upon your return.

I am calling a mandatory meeting for all associates at 9 AM on Wednesday morning (Conference Room 1). The following topics will be addressed:

-Resignation of Caius  
-My new role as CEO  
-Jake as new CFO  
-Resignation of Esme  
-Bella as new COO  
-Resignations of Tanya and Maria; Dismissals of Jessica and Irina  
-Transition: finance and operations teams  
-Open positions  
-Expectations for 2013 and beyond

**~ * NBG * ~**

Finally, I opened the eleventh and last message. Once I began reading it, I almost wished I hadn't.

**From: **Carlisle Cullen  
**Sent: **Tuesday, December 25, 2012 11:25 PM  
**To: **Bella Swan  
**CC:** Rose Hale, Edward Masen, Jacob Black  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject:** COO Duties

Bella,

The COO duties were never well defined, and I want to provide a basic outline for how I envision your role and responsibilities. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will provide needed leadership and direction to the operations team (which includes the legal, marketing, and human resources groups, plus general administration and interns).

**Legal:** You will need to define what the team does and what it needs. Caius always managed them, and I have very little knowledge of what they do on a day-to-day basis.

**Marketing:** We plan to **significantly** increase our marketing efforts, as well as our presence at tech conferences, in 2013. You will be responsible for relaying our vision to the team and making sure that they stay on message/brand in all products.

**HR:** You will be responsible for the HR team and all matters of HR compliance.

**General Admin:** Your assessments established the need for a strong administrative support system within each team. However, the reception, meeting services, and floating administrative roles have become vitally important to ATS as a whole. You will need to keep this unit staffed and well supervised.

**Interns: **We're all very excited about the prospect of having interns on our teams. I believe that hiring interns will be a low-risk, low-expense method of grooming promising students to (potentially) assume entry-level positions within the company upon graduation.

Someone within each team will assign work to the interns, monitor them, and evaluate their performance, but I'd like for you to "manage" the intern process in general. Each college/university will undoubtedly have its own rules, and you will be responsible for making sure that all necessary forms (or reports) related to the interns are filed and submitted with all necessary signatures and approvals.

**Management/Performance:** In case it hasn't been stated or is unclear, you will now be responsible for management of every person on your team (ie, scheduling, processing of leave requests, resolving/reporting staff issues/problems, handling staff discipline). You will also be responsible for reviewing their performance at intervals of your choosing. I do not believe anyone on your team has ever had a review, so you are at liberty to set up the system as you see fit.

With regard to your position, I will supervise you and review your performance at regular intervals. Should you discover issues that could impact or harm the company in any way, I expect to be made aware immediately. Should you have ideas to improve our workflow, please share them. My door will always be open to you and the other members of the executive team.

**Raises/Bonuses: **I am perfectly fine with you offering raises and/or bonuses in the immediate future as a method of retaining your team; there is plenty of money available in your budget.

**Budget: **I have always managed the operations team budget, but now that duty will fall to you or someone you designate. I've attached spreadsheets containing the ATS operating budgets for 2012/2013 as well as the same for your team specifically. Of course, I will be available to discuss these in detail with you once things settle down.

Finally, Bella, it's occurred to me that you've never been set-up for remote e-mail access. Rose will have Jane or Alec take care of that on Wednesday.

**~ * NBG * ~**

"What the fuck have I gotten myself into?" I muttered as I dropped my head into my hands and stared blankly at the screen.

I'd always felt that I'd been doing portions of Esme's job: performing the assessments, providing direction to the marketing team, and recommending staff re-alignments and new positions. But after reading Carlisle's outline, I knew that I'd been wrong.

I hadn't been doing Esme's job at all because she hadn't even been doing all the shit he'd just described. And that list was only the stuff he could think of at the time; there would be more responsibilities that cropped up too.

"That's the face of someone who just read through pages of executive correspondence," Carlisle said with a slight smile.

I hadn't noticed him knock or open the door as he stepped inside my office with Jasper right behind him.

I lifted my head and smirked as they sat down in front of my desk.

"Who the hell says stuff like 'executive correspondence'?" I remarked.

"If you're cracking jokes, I know you'll be okay," Jasper said with a big grin.

"Even so, I think we should get you to sign that contract immediately," Carlisle said, causing all of us to laugh.

"I understand that you asked that I verify that your salary matches the other chiefs," Jasper said as Carlisle squirmed a little. "It does."

"Thank you," I said as I grinned at Jasper who was clearly trying not to laugh.

Now more than ever I was glad I hadn't agreed to Esme's salary. Shit, after reading over all my new duties, I should've asked for what Carlisle was making, but I knew that would never happen.

I opened the e-mail with my employment agreement, then printed it on the little personal printer next to my desk. I signed the contract with a flourish, then passed it to Jasper.

"We didn't mean to bombard you with messages," Carlisle said. "But after the meeting with you went so well on Sunday, we got on a roll and made some tough decisions. I know we discussed being extra careful with our money in the next few months, but after taking a real look at things, we don't really have a choice: we have to bring in more people and spend a little more right now to stay competitive."

I nodded in understanding while Carlisle continued.

"You said some things that were hard to hear, but we listened," he said. "Honestly, because of you, we made the decision to let Tanya go."

I rolled my eyes. "I thought she_ resigned_," I said.

"Yes, you're right," he said. "She resigned after we decided that as far as the company is concerned, her mouth was a lethal weapon."

Jasper and I cracked up laughing.

"That wasn't easy," Carlisle said seriously, "but she has too many ties to our family and she talks too much. It had to be done."

"What's the deal with Irina and the client?" I asked as both men groaned. "Tell me she didn't actually..."

"She did," Jasper said. "She had sex with a client."

Carlisle looked very uncomfortable as I stared at him in disbelief.

"Tell me we're letting go of the client too," I said.

"Uh, yes, we are," Carlisle said awkwardly. "We've just spoken with Sam in legal."

Jasper clearly had more to say on the subject, but he didn't. The look on his face let me know that we'd talk about it later.

"I need to get going. I have a few more fires to put out," Carlisle said. "But I wanted to sign your new agreement."

He quickly signed my contract, then gave it back to Jasper who tucked it into a folder he'd brought with him.

"Thank you," Carlisle said as he stood to leave. "I mean it, Bella. I know you'll do well. I'm happy that you've agreed to stay after everything that happened."

"I'll do my best," I said. "Just remember that I'm not a magician."

He grinned. "Understood," he replied. "One last thing, please come to my office at eight. I'd like to meet with the exec team before the big staff meeting."

"Okay," I replied as he hurriedly left the office. Jasper locked the door behind him and sat back down.

"Gimme that signed contract," I said as he grinned and handed it to me. "I'm making a copy right now. I want proof that he agreed to pay me. After all the shit I just read, I'll be earning every dollar."

I made a copy on my printer and handed it back to him.

"Thank god you and Jake are on the executive team now," Jasper said. "Your boss and his dumb-ass cousins don't have much common sense between them."

I grabbed my stomach as I laughed although his words were truly not funny.

"Do you know that Rose and Edward didn't think it would be a problem to keep Irina or the client?" he asked.

"I did_ not_ know, and that's seriously disturbing," I said with a chuckle as I shook my head. "How'd it come up then?"

"Carlisle said that after they met with you Sunday, they decided to talk about each employee and get rid of all the bad eggs," Jasper replied. "When they got to Irina, Edward decided to mention the shit about the client, and Carlisle hit the roof."

"How did Edward know?" I asked.

"Apparently, in October, Rose caught Irina and the client,_ together_, right here in the office."

"I bet she caught them in that conference room," I said, unable to keep from interrupting.

"In the conference room where the condoms were found," Jasper said disgustedly.

This was so not funny, but again I laughed. It was truly unbelievable.

"Then, Edward caught them _last_ month," Jasper said as I kept laughing. "He went to Rose about it. They both say they talked to Irina, then they asked her to stop seeing him and left it at that."

"Obviously she didn't," I replied.

"They didn't even know that until Sunday," Jasper said. "And notice how nobody told HR at all. That's kind of what we're here for."

"Can you imagine if Caius had found out?" I asked. "He really might've had a heart attack then."

Jasper nodded, then continued.

"Carlisle said he had a big argument with Rose about Irina. She was actually very good at her job no matter how bad her attitude was or how much she gossiped."

I'd figured as much because Rose ran a fairly tight ship on the I.T. team. Unlike Edward, she wasn't about to carry dead weight.

"I'll give Carlisle credit," Jasper said. "He told them he wouldn't work with someone who'd cross that kind of line with the clients and he wanted her out. Edward said he knew it wasn't right and that's why he mentioned it, but he just didn't see what the big deal was."

I rolled my eyes. "He wouldn't since he was dumb enough to sleep with his own assistant," I said as Jasper laughed.

"How hard is it to understand that sex is not one of the services we're supposed to be providing to clients?" I asked. "I don't know how it started, so I won't totally blame Irina. But once they got caught, they both should've been gone. We have a reputation to protect."

"I agree. Irina was wrong, but so was the client," Jasper said. "They both had to go. Sam just had to explain it to Rose and Edward because they really thought Carlisle was overreacting. This is very serious."

"Do you and Sam think Irina will sue us?" I asked.

"It doesn't sound like it, and Rose has talked to her again since that e-mail," Jasper said. "But later today, when the client finds out we're terminating his contract, who knows? The good thing is, we just had sexual harassment training a few months ago."

"Which I recommended," I said as Jasper nodded in agreement.

"That's what's saving our ass right now," he said. "We have so many sales and I.T. reps here that Caius_ specifically _requested that the trainer talk about what counts as harassment from clients too, not just coworkers. At least we have proof that Irina had the training and was warned against this exact thing."

"The client knew better too," I said. "He's not blameless."

"Oh, I know," Jasper said. "Sam said there's language in all the client contracts about a standard of conduct with ATS reps. It doesn't say sex specifically, but clearly they crossed a line of conduct."

"I have to say, Carlisle is already turning out to be better at CEO than I thought," I said. "He's no Caius, but at least for the most part, he seems like he thinks things through."

"I agree," Jasper said. "But for the sake of all of us, I want you to pay close attention to what those three do and say. Call them on their bullshit. I'm gonna say the same thing to Jake."

"Well, I'm normally shy and afraid to speak up, but I'll try," I said as Jasper guffawed.

"Do you think Tanya would sue us?" I asked seriously. "Or Jessica? They all had nasty attitudes and I'm happy they're gone, but I'd hate for us to start of the new year with a bunch of lawsuits."

"They could sue," he replied. "People sue for everything these days. But Jessica has no leg to stand on_ at all_."

"But she says she was sleeping with Edward," I said. "That could get messy."

"He insists that whatever they had was a few years ago," Jasper said, "and that he only hired her because they were still friends, she wasn't working, and he was desperate for an assistant at the time."

"No matter what the reason, it was really dumb," I said as I shook my head.

"You know that and I know that, but he still doesn't get it," Jasper said. "I will say, it's been hard to keep people here, and when he hired her, he really did need somebody. But she was going to get fired soon anyway. She'd just been fucking up too bad lately. Edward started documenting a few things with HR. It was just a matter of time."

This news didn't surprise me at all. Jessica had always seemed more concerned with gossiping than doing her job.

"But Tanya?" I asked. "You know how nasty she is."

"She breached confidentiality and abused her position," he said. "Rose gave me a bunch of e-mails from some of their family, all mentioning Tanya by name. She wasn't just spreading rumors about you and a couple other people here, she was telling the family how much money some clients were paying. And she'd managed to work some perks for herself into some of the contracts. She went too far."

"Wow," I said. "I didn't know it was that bad."

"I didn't either," he said, looking disgusted all over again. "They kept it all quiet because she was their friend."

"Hopefully, the bad element is gone," I said. "What about Maria? Did she really quit? I didn't see an actual e-mail from her."

"She did it over the phone," Jasper said. "She left Rose a voicemail."

"Is she really Jessica's cousin?" I asked. "If she quit just because Jessica got fired, she must not have needed that job."

"I don't know," he said. "That woman complained about everybody in this place. I don't care how it happened, I'm just glad those four are gone. They kept most of the drama going around here. Good riddance."

I talked with Jasper for a few moments longer until Alice showed up outside of my office door, still wearing her coat and carrying her purse. She also held a large box in her arms which Jasper took from her when he jumped up to open the door.

"You're quitting?" I asked, alarmed, as my heart leapt into my throat.

"No," she replied with a chuckle. "But I'm not sitting back there at my old desk. It's too creepy in that big space all by myself. I can't believe Caius is really gone."

"I know," I replied somberly. "It was weird to walk in and not have him waiting outside my door."

"I don't know if your new boss will approve," Jasper said to Alice with a grin, "but you can sit at the desk in the HR waiting area for the next few weeks until the move happens. Bree won't mind."

"That sounds great," Alice said. "What say you, boss?"

I grinned. "Am I your boss?" I asked. "You have an opportunity to work with Edward now."

"I've already told him 'thanks, but no thanks,'" she said with a chuckle. "No way in hell am I cleaning up Jessica's mess. Besides, you need me way more than he does."

"It's none of my business, but I think so too," Jasper said. "Sales is much more stable now. Heidi's got them running like a well-oiled machine."

"Are you supposed to be interfering, Mr. HR director?" I asked as they laughed.

"On a personal level, no," he replied with a grin. "But I_ am_ often consulted on company personnel decisions."

"This counts as that," Alice said with a smirk.

"Consult away then," I replied as they laughed again.

"I agree with Jas," Alice said seriously. "I'm glad you didn't just automatically decide for me, but you need me. It's going to be hard work running this team."

"I've actually got a lot of résumés still on file from all the recent postings," Jasper said. "I'll get somebody for Edward really soon. That should make him happy. In the meantime, the sales team admin can help him."

"Well then, welcome aboard as my executive assistant," I said to Alice. "I'm thrilled to have you."

"Thanks, boss," Alice said with a huge grin as they both stood to leave.

"Before you two go, I need to say something," I told them.

They both stopped and turned to me.

"I consider the both of you as friends._ Real _friends," I said. "And I can't lie, I'm a little nervous about being your 'boss'. But just know that I'll be fair. And whatever we discuss stays between us, and that applies to personal things too."

"Thanks," Jasper said. "Alice and I tell each other everything, it's just how it is. But we don't go blabbing everything to everybody, no matter how comfortable we are with some of the others."

"He's right," Alice said with a smile. "Whatever you tell us stays between us. And I know you'll be fair. If I thought Edward would be a better boss, I would work for him. But you'll be great and I'm kind of excited to help turn this place around."

"Thanks," I said sincerely. I truly appreciated her words.

"You're welcome," she said. "I'm one of those people who never really knew what they wanted to be when they grew up."

I chuckled, but she was clearly serious.

"I love fashion, I love to sew, I love to shop," she said. "But I don't want them to be my career or anything. I fell into this job and as crazy as it's been, I like it here. I don't want to look for another job, so we_ will _make this work. I'm glad you're here."

"You don't know how much I needed to hear that," I said. "I'm nervous about this job. Really nervous. But I'll do my best."

"We're here for you," Jasper said. "Don't forget that."

Jasper's parting words caused me to take a deep breath in renewed efforts to calm my nerves. I succeeded in doing so in time to receive my next visitor.

"Wuddup, chief," yelled Jake as I cackled with laughter.

"You're a little more excited about your job than I am about mine," I said as he laughed.

"Like I said in my note, with you running the day-to-day ops, and me watching the money, we'll get this place straightened out," he said.

"I hope so," I said dubiously.

"I find your lack of faith a little disturbing," he said, causing me to laugh again.

"I just met with my team about how Carlisle wanted to rearrange the job responsibilities," he said as he sat down.

"How'd that go over?" I asked.

"So so," he replied. "I'm okay with what he suggested for me, for the most part. Carmen's happy because she's been wanting to have more of a finance role than accounting."

"Ben and Shelly?" I asked in concern.

"Not happy," he said with a chuckle. "They agree to having their titles changed to accountant, and they've both wanted more responsibility. But Carlisle added in a whole bunch of new shit to both of them, and we all feel like it's too much."

"From Carlisle's e-mail, it sounded like they both left very stressful jobs," I said. "I'm sure they don't want that again."

"They don't," Jake said. "That's why I'm creating a third accountant position."

"You think Carlisle will be okay with that?" I asked.

"My group, my decision," Jake said firmly as I grinned. "We don't have a choice. From all those e-mails, we'll be bringing in at least ten more employees."

"And at least five interns," I said.

"Exactly," Jake said. "The billing and payroll are a little tricky here because of the way the tech services are contracted, and because of that new sales commission system. It's time-consuming and you need to be careful. If we get that many more employees, on top of all the new clients, we'll definitely need another accountant."

"Do we really have the money for all these new employees and increases?" I asked. "I've been working on the annual report, so I've seen some of the numbers, but you would know for sure."

"We'll be fine over time," he said. "We're in good shape, as long as we continue to grow. I talk to Paul and Tyler in sales all the time. Between Seth, Tanya, and the marketing campaign, we really have brought in a bunch of new clients, just in the last month. Even with Tanya gone, I think that trend will continue."

"I'll take your word for it," I said.

"Do," he said with a smirk as he stood to leave. "See you at the exec meeting."

As I made a list of several questions for Carlisle and the other chiefs, I received another visitor: Gianna. I'd just waved her into the office when New Business called me on my cell.

"I knew you'd be busy," Gianna whispered. "I didn't want anything. I'll come back later."

"Sorry," I said as I answered the call. She waved as she left and I turned my attention to Emmett.

"I am so fucking mad right now," he said as soon as I spoke.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I have to go to fucking Sacramento for the whole rest of the week," he said angrily as I gasped.

"No," I shouted. "Why?"

"The fucking regional VP I only just met at the holiday party wants me to job-shadow him and check out his office," he said. "He's my boss's boss; it's not like I can say 'no.' I won't be back til Monday. He already got his secretary to book the hotel."

"You _just _started there," I said, alarmed by this sudden turn of events. "Why does he want you to shadow him?"

I felt a growing sense of dread in my stomach.

"He's about to take over the eastern region, which brings in a lot more money, and I think he wants me to take over his job in the west," New Business said. "My boss thinks so too. But no way in hell am I taking a job in California. No fucking way. I told him that, but he doesn't care."

"Where are you now?" I asked.

"I'm out in my car," he said. "I don't mean to get you all upset, but I needed to talk and let you know."

"I'm glad you caught me now," I said. "I'll be in meetings for the next few hours."

"That's what I thought," he said, sounding a little calmer. "I'm really fucking sorry. I promised I'd see you tonight."

"Don't worry about me," I said. "I really wanted to see you tonight too, but you don't have a lot of options at your job right now. You're too new. You have to go with the flow. What time do you leave?"

"Around noon," he said. "On the company jet."

"Holy shit," I said. "That's a big deal."

"Yeah," he muttered. "I need to go."

"Call me when you get there, and make sure you plaster a smile on that pretty face," I said.

Finally, he laughed. "I love you," he said. "Have a good day."

"Love you too," I said as I ended the call.

I sat still, staring at the phone in my hand. I felt much _much_ more upset than I'd let on to New Business.

My mind raced with so much: everything I had to do for my new job and, now, all that was going on with Emmett at his.

He just started working at Summit-Meyer in early November. In less than two months, he'd received extensive training, gone on sales visits to pursue new business leads, attended several tech conferences, and had now been asked to job-shadow the regional vice president.

I was no sales expert, but even I could see that Emmett was being placed on a fast track. It was a huge company; I imagined they did have tons of openings. It sounded like this regional guy was moving up, and wanted a solid person to replace him. As I well knew, there weren't many people more solid than New Business. He cut an imposing figure, yet was professional and personable. He was young and attractive, unmarried and childless, and for some people, those factors mattered very much.

If they offered him a job away from Seattle, what would he do? What would I do? He said he absolutely wouldn't take the job, but what if he was offered an insane amount of money? That would be the one thing that might change his mind. And the sad thing was, he didn't care about the money for himself, it was always for his family.

For the first time in my life, I felt on the verge of a panic attack. It was only 7:48 a.m. and yet I was stressed beyond belief. I tossed my phone on the desk, grabbed my keys, hastily locked my office door, and jogged down the hall in the direction of Caius's office, away from everyone else.

Like Alice said earlier, the area surrounding Caius's office felt 'creepy' without him but there wasn't a person in sight and that's why I'd come here. I pulled Alice's chair into a corner, sat down, and faced the wall. I leaned forward as far as I could and placed my head in my hands while slowly taking in and releasing deep, cleansing breaths.

As I tried to gather my wits, I thought of everything going on in my life at this moment and all that had happened since Friday:

-The nightmare that was the ATS holiday party.  
-The visit from Caius Saturday morning and the shock I'd felt at his departure.  
-The Summit-Meyer party where Emmett and I had danced the night away like a real couple.  
-The wonderful night and better morning we'd shared at the hotel after the party.  
-Sunday's meeting with the chiefs, where I'd placed all my cards on the table.  
-Cooking all day on Monday, and learning that New Business would be gone for most of January.  
-All the activity of Christmas day: Renée and Phil meeting Charlie and Sue, and all of them meeting Emmett's family.  
-The drama with Emily and Maggie, hearing Emily's sad sad story, then meeting Brett and his parents.  
-Arriving at work to learn about the latest round of major change at ATS, as well as all of my new responsibilities.  
-Oh, and there was still the matter of my parents still being in town and the pressing need I felt to spend time with them tonight before they all left.  
-And finally, to top it all off, the only man I'd ever loved was being groomed to take a job out of state. Away from me.

I might be strong and confident, and I might be tough and thick-skinned, but I didn't know how in the actual_ fuck _I could handle one more thing.

"I found her," said a voice from behind me that caused me to jump and turn in alarm.

"Just keep going without us," Edward said as he ended the call on his cell. He stared at me for a few moments before he pulled over a chair and sat next to me.

"It's almost 8:30," he said as I gasped. "We thought you left us."

"Shit, I'm sorry," I said as I hurried to stand. I'd been here for over half an hour without even realizing it.

"Don't get up," he said quietly. "Let's talk a little."

"I'm fine," I said, though I felt nothing of the sort. "Just a tiny little panic attack."

Edward grinned. "The first day we officially opened for business three years ago, I went home after work and sat down on the couch. When I stood up again, it was the next morning."

"I don't feel so bad then," I replied with a weak smile.

"I know it's going to take time for you to trust me and Carlisle, and especially Rose," he said, "but we feel like we cleared the air on Sunday and we're starting over. I hope you feel that way too."

I smiled and extended my hand.

"Bella Swan, nice to meet you," I said.

"Edward Masen, the pleasure's mine," he said as he shook it.

"I promise this doesn't happen to me a lot," I said as I continued my efforts to calm down. "But so much has happened since Friday and it all just felt like it came crashing down on my head."

"I'm not trying to be a dick," he said with a smug grin, "but I'm glad I caught you like this. It's nice to see that you get stressed like the rest of us. You're always so confident. You always say the right thing at the right time in every situation. It's a little fucking annoying if I'm being honest."

"But how do you really feel?" I quipped as he laughed.

"I really respect you, Bella," he said. "And that's the truth. My uncle is a hard, hard man to please. He was always so impressed with you. We were all jealous of that."

"Caius gave me a chance here, and I learned so much from him," I said. "He's a great man."

"I always hated the bastard," he said bluntly as I chuckled. "I was always nice to him, I was too afraid not to be. But whenever he was around the family growing up, there was always fighting. Now that I'm older, I understand that we wouldn't be where we are without him being hard on us and standing up to our parents. But I didn't understand that when I was younger. Working with him has given me a whole new perspective of him. I've learned from him too, and I'm nervous about the future of the company without him."

I looked over at Caius's empty office, almost like I could will him back in there.

"Should I be concerned that the chief of sales is nervous?" I asked with a smirk.

He raised an eyebrow as he grinned. "Not necessarily," he said. "But keep your fingers and toes crossed these next few months. We're bringing in more clients, but they're smaller. Not like..."

"...the clients Emmett brought in," I said, completing the sentence, as he frowned and grudgingly nodded.

"What's your beef with him?" I asked, in the spirit of clearing the air.

Edward rolled his eyes which caused me to chuckle.

"He was always so fucking smug," he said immediately. "We were still in the early stages when he started here, and we were still learning as we went. We couldn't keep good people at all. It was bad. But everybody loved him, the staff and the clients. He could really connect with people and gain their trust. You two are just alike in that way. I think it's pretty funny that you're together. You're basically the same person."

"I beg your pardon," I said. "He's more than double my weight."

Edward laughed. "Don't get me wrong," he said. "I'm thankful for the clients he brought in, but Emmett and I just didn't get along. He always looked at me like I didn't know what I was doing, and I hated that."

I_ almost_ pointed out that he himself said he hadn't known what he was doing, but in the spirit of moving forward, I let the comment slide. Edward wasn't done though.

"And then when he quit, it just messed with my head," he admitted. "I didn't like him, and I was glad he was leaving. But I'm not stupid. I knew we'd have a hard time replacing somebody like him, so then I was mad that he was leaving. I knew sales was fucked."

"I think Emmett just wanted to be appreciated for the work he did," I replied. "And I felt the same way. Like at the party, it wasn't that I didn't get a gift. It was the fact that everybody else got something. It wasn't right."

"It wasn't," he said in agreement. "I think we've all learned a lesson about giving credit where it's due after Friday night."

"I would hope so," I replied.

"Have you un-panicked yourself?" he asked with a grin. "We need to get to the meeting."

"Un-panicked is not a real word," I said as I stood and put the chair back at the desk.

"I'm not a writer so I don't care," he said with a chuckle.

"Thank you, Edward," I said. "I do feel better. This was actually a real conversation. I didn't think you had it in you."

"No problem," he said. "Now let's go. It's already after nine, and if you don't show up at the big meeting, the staff might turn on Carlisle."

Truly feeling better, I walked out into the hall as Edward followed.

"Was that your real mom at the party?" he asked as we walked.

"Yes," I replied, giving him an odd look for asking such a strange question.

"She seemed so young, I thought she might have been a stepmom or something," he said. "Excuse me for saying so, but she's hot. You don't really look like her at all."

"Ouch," I said, pretending to be hurt. His face immediately turned red.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly. "You're... you... well I mean, you're..."

I cracked up laughing. "I get it," I said. "Just leave it alone. I look just like my dad, everyone says so. And by the way, I'm so telling my mom what you said."

"By all means do," he replied with a salacious grin.

"Does your date from the party know that you're checking out people's mothers?" I asked as I laughed.

"That's not serious," he said dismissively. "We used to be more, but now we're just friends."

I distinctly remembered his date clutching his arm when I approached the table. She seemed to think they were more than friends, just like someone else.

"I hope you're not friends with her like you were _friends_ with Jessica" I said, unable to resist.

"Don't remind me," he said as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "My two biggest mistakes were being with her in the first place, and then bringing her here. Desperation makes people do crazy things. I've learned my lesson."

"I hope so," I replied with a chuckle.

"You know I could have hid that message from Jess," he said defensively. "What she said was really embarrassing to me, but I was trying to be honest so we could leave all the crap in the past."

"It's cool, Ed Money," I replied as he guffawed. "Don't get upset."

We were both still laughing when we reached the conference room where Carlisle was already speaking to the gathered staff.

"Let's get this over with," Edward whispered as we slipped inside.

Five chairs had been placed in front of the room; he sat next to Rose and I sat next to Jake.

I could see Carlisle visibly relax as he talked. Maybe they really did think I'd quit.

"You okay?" Jake whispered.

"Fine," I whispered in reply.

I searched the room for Alice and Gianna and found them sitting together. They both looked very concerned as they caught my eye. I gave them both a smile to let them know I was okay, but something else caught my attention and turned my smile into a face-splitting grin.

Someone, probably Rose or Carlisle, had brought in bagels, donuts, and juice, which most everyone munched on as they listened to Carlisle. Gianna, however, held a plastic sandwich bag in her hand inside of which was a giant hunk of what appeared to be the almond pound cake I'd made her.

When she saw me looking at it, she grinned back, then pinched off a piece and ate it with gusto. I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. Alice looked between us and rolled her eyes.

I didn't know why I found Gianna eating that cake so hilarious, but I did. Maybe because it was so early in the morning and the slice was so big. No matter the reason, I was thankful for the laugh and, more importantly, for the reminder that I had people here who would help and support me. I wasn't in this alone.

* * *

I hadn't exactly been listening to Carlisle as he spoke to the group; my mind was too distracted with thoughts of Emmett and everything I had to do at work. However, when he turned to Rose, who then stood up, I definitely paid attention.

"I don't want to stand here and admit that I behaved like a child," she said as she looked around the room. "But that's exactly what I did. I had a personal problem with Bella and I wanted to embarrass her at the party. Like Carlisle just said, our family has some issues too, and because of them, Caius was slighted as well."

I was actually surprised that she admitted what she did to the whole company.

"I want to personally apologize to Bella in front of everyone," she said after taking a deep breath and turning to me.

"I've told you in private and now I'm saying it again," she said. "I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't agree with you getting hired, but you've worked hard, very hard, for this company and you didn't deserve that."

"Thank you," I said as she sat back down.

Many people around the room were whispering to each other and looking surprised. That's about how I felt. No matter whether she was apologizing sincerely, or just for the sake of the business, I felt that it took a lot for her to do that and I was serious about moving on.

"Thanks, Rose," Carlisle said. "I want to make it clear to you all that we talked to my father at length over the weekend. Caius is firm in his decision to leave. He felt that staying here would cause too much friction in our family, and in his own life, and we have to respect that. My father is a difficult man, and we've definitely had our differences. But there's no one I respect more, and I'll miss him here."

Almost everywhere I looked, eyes were focused on Rose, who'd slumped in her seat as Carlisle discussed Caius. I wondered if he'd ever forgive her, but knowing him like I did, I doubted it.

"Rose and Edward started this company, and brought me in to help out," Carlisle said. "We've had some rough times the last few years, but we've come too far to give up now."

Carlisle spoke with real conviction; he reminded me quite a lot of his father in this moment.

"One of the best things my father ever did for this company also caused the most tension," he said as he looked over at me. "He hired Bella. We were furious because he hired her behind our backs. When we protested, he was adamant that she'd do well here and help us get organized. He was right, but we never gave Bella a fair chance, and I'm sure many of you could feel the tension."

Now all eyes were on me. I dropped my eyes to my lap, unable to stand all the looks.

"I'm not trying to create more drama and tension by sharing this," Carlisle said. "I'm simply trying to clear the air here because we have to move forward."

I decided to speak because he was absolutely right.

"I know that some of you heard the nasty rumors about Caius and me," I said from me seat as Carlisle stood aside. "I want to say once and for all that none of them were ever true. He was my boss and nothing more than that. I always tried to focus on my job and ignore how the chiefs treated me. When they called me over the weekend, I said everything I ever wanted to say to them, and then some."

"Trust us, she did," Edward said, as quite a few people chuckled.

"They've all apologized to me, even Esme, and as far as I'm concerned, we're starting over," I said. "Every single person in this room needs a job or we wouldn't be here."

"Amen to that," somebody said as several more people chuckled.

"Now that I've accepted the chief of operations job," I continued, "I promise to be fair and open, like I think I have been. I think this company provides a great service, and I think we have a great team. Nobody's saying we all have to be best friends, but we do need to work together."

"Very well said, Bella," remarked Carlisle as he smiled at me.

"Well, I'm just glad this is all out in the open," yelled Garrett, the admin for the legal team. "It's a damn shame that it took that messed-up holiday party for you to see that this is a real business. We're real people with real bills. Like Bella said, we need our jobs."

"And it's been frustrating to watch Bella work her tail off to make good changes while you all treated her like dirt," said Chelsea, the normally reticent receptionist. "Esme popped in and out whenever she felt like it, giving us no direction at all, collecting a big paycheck the whole time for nothing."

"I completely agree," said Carmen from finance, another normally reserved person. "Esme should have been relieved of her duties a long time ago, and so should Tanya and Jessica. It shouldn't have taken this mess for you three to get rid of the cancers to the whole organization."

Jake snorted a little from beside me, and I bit the inside of my lip to try to keep from smiling or smirking. It was clear that the staff would have their say now, and Carlisle, Rose, and Edward could do nothing but listen in stunned silence.

Victoria, a fiery redhead from the I.T. team, was next to speak.

"Seeing what your friends got away with, while the rest of us busted our asses has never inspired much confidence in your leadership," she said. "I'm sorry to say it, but that's the truth."

"After what happened at the holiday party, I didn't even want to come back here again," said Seth from sales. "But I need this job, like everybody else said, and I like what I do. I do feel better knowing that you fired people like Tanya and Jess, and put strong people like Bella and Jake on the executive team."

"Seth's right," Jasper said with fire in his eyes. "I've bitten my tongue about a lot of what I've seen here but whatever I think about what's happened in the past, I know for a fact that with Bella and Jake in the picture, _much_ better decisions will be made."

Jake and I smiled at each other. Carlisle, Rose, and Edward looked between each other, clearly deciding who would respond to the spontaneous, yet true, outbursts from the team. Edward stepped up.

"It was hard to hear some of that," he said as he looked around, "just like it was hard to hear some of what Bella had to say. All I can say is that this is a very young company. We had a lot to learn, and we still do. We made some mistakes hiring people we knew. But I will tell you that it's been hard keeping people here as we grew."

"I can assure you that we've learned our lesson about the people we hire," Rose said. "I can't stress enough how hard we've worked to build this company. This is the best it's ever been and we're determined to make it work. That's why we let go of the people we did."

"Please understand that we need our jobs too," Edward said. "Yes, our families have money, but it's not like we can just sit around and not work for the rest of our lives. We need to work too, and we plan on working here, nowhere else."

"We've admitted our mistakes," Carlisle said, "and we recognized that we needed people outside of the family on the executive board. That's why we reached out to Bella and Jake. And in accepting their new jobs, they've agreed to stay on through next year to give us time to grow the company. They didn't have to stay here, but they did, and we're grateful."

I saw a few people whisper then; I wondered if they'd been worried about us leaving soon. In retrospect, it was good that Carlisle had included that stipulation. It would at least show that we would give the company a degree of time to right itself before we jumped ship.

"I've personally spoken with our largest clients to tell them about Caius before they heard it on the rumor mill," Carlisle said, to more whispers. "And, Rose, Edward, and I will be visiting them next week for face-to-face meetings."

"Even doing that, it may be rough for a little while," Rose said. "We've got the expansion upstairs coming up, and we'll be hiring even more staff soon to make sure that we run efficiently."

"We're coming clean because we need each and every one of you to help us move forward," Carlisle said. "Some of you have already told me you're actively looking for other jobs because you don't like some of the things that have happened here."

Alice and I exchanged surprised looks. I wondered who'd told Carlisle that right to his face.

"I can only ask that you give us a little time," he said. "We're committed to making ATS succeed. That's my promise to you."

Having had their say, everyone settled down for the remainder of the meeting as Carlisle went through the rest of the items on his agenda.

I wondered if he'd touch on the Irina situation. He did briefly by saying,

"_We encourage going above and beyond for our clients, but there are limits. If you ever feel pressured by a client, please tell your team lead, one of the chiefs, HR, or me."_

It was nearly 11:30 when the meeting ended. Gianna asked to speak as Carlisle wrapped up.

"You have the floor," he said to her with a smile.

"I know that all use of the meeting rooms is supposed to be approved through me," she said. "But I think we can suspend that just for today because it sounds like a lot of people need to meet and talk about all the new changes. There were only two meetings scheduled, and this meeting ran over both of those."

"I'm glad you said that," I replied with a grin. "If it's okay, I'd like to meet with my group right in here for the next half hour or so. We have a lot to talk about."

Edward, Jake, Rose, and Carlisle quickly agreed.

"Okay, so if you're not in sales, I.T., or finance, stay here," I said as everyone laughed.

"Except you and I, Kate," Carlisle said to more laughter. Kate was his assistant when he was CFO and she would remain his assistant. She chuckled and grinned at me.

"Thanks, team," Carlisle said as he left the room.

It took a little time to start my meeting because everyone stopped to congratulate me and Jake on their way out.

"You so deserve this," Seth said when he passed me.

"Thanks," I said. "I think you're the lead new business person now. You just make sure you keep bringing those new clients in."

"I'm on it," he said with his baby-faced grin. "What a difference a couple of months make, huh?"

"Congratulations, officially," Ben said when he passed, giving me a little wink. "You'll do well. I'm not worried at all."

Finally, only my eager-looking operations team remained: Alice; Jasper and Bree from HR; Peter and Jared from marketing; the legal team of Sam, Charlotte, and Garrett; and the general administration group of Chelsea, Gianna, and Logan, the 'floating' administrative assistant who'd been hired after the assessments to back up and/or assist any of the admin staff on the teams.

"Before you get started," Charlotte said eagerly. "I'm _dying _to know. What's going to happen to Alice?"

"Yes, I'm dying to know what's going to happen to her too," Alice said as we all laughed.

"Alice has agreed to stay on as my executive assistant and I'm thrilled about that," I replied. "She was great with Caius so we know she can handle anything. She's not going anywhere, unless she decides to leave."

"Good," Gianna said. "She's helped me so much since I've been here."

"Me too," I said to more chuckles.

"First, I want to say welcome to the new operations team," I said as I looked around the room.

"Thank you for staying," Sam said. "You could have easily told them to jump off a cliff, and who knows who they would have brought in to replace you."

"It really ticked me off seeing Carlisle stand up there all smug like he cares," Garrett said in another outburst. "If he cared, if Rose or Edward cared, they'd have made some changes a long time ago."

Everyone muttered their agreement. I couldn't let this turn into an anti-Carlisle session so I had to speak up.

"Maybe in the past they were a little less concerned because Caius was here," I said. "But they care now. They wouldn't have asked me and Jake to be a part of the executive team otherwise. And I will say, whether it should've happened sooner or not, I'm pleasantly surprised that they let go of Tanya, Jessica, and Irina."

"I am too," Jasper said. "I never thought it would happen."

"They made those changes after they met with me," I said. "It wasn't like I demanded it or anything. I didn't even mention them. Carlisle and the others decided that on their own. I think maybe seeing how the majority of the staff felt about them after the holiday party got so ugly really made them take a hard look at themselves."

"I think so too," Jared said. "They're not lying when they say they need their jobs too. Edward's brother and Rose's mother are in the news all the time for all the big parties and events they throw. That family money won't last forever."

Several of the others chimed in with gossip they'd heard about Carlisle, Rose, and Edward's families; I just chuckled. Jared didn't know how close he hit to the truth. With Caius gone, there was no one to stop that family's bank run on the money.

"If you're still here," I said loudly over the chatter, "it means we need you on the team. You all have done amazing jobs with little direction and I'll need to rely on you a lot in the near future."

They all grinned at actually being complimented and praised for once.

"I know for a fact that we'll be hiring a bunch of new people," I said. "The other teams already know what positions they need but I'd like some feedback from you. I do know two positions I'd like to add: a team lead for us, like Heidi and Laurent for the other teams. I also want to hire someone for maintenance and general labor. That person would be in charge of the copy machines and distributing the package deliveries and mail, moving furniture, that sort of thing."

"I think that's a great idea because I've been the one doing a lot of that stuff and I don't have time for it," Jasper said.

I wrote down 'maintenance/labor person' on my list. I'd come up with some fancy title for it later.

"I also know that we'll definitely need more help on the marketing team," I said as I looked to Peter and Jared. "The chiefs have been raving about the marketing campaign and the booth at the conferences. They've already said they want to do much more next year. I'll be meeting with the both of you soon, but in the meantime, be thinking of how many more people you think the team will need."

Peter and Jared both nodded, looking quite pleased with themselves, as they should.

"There could be more jobs too," I said. "That means new opportunities for some of you, so I want you to know that I'm encouraging you to apply for whatever you think might best suit you. I won't hold it against anyone who wants to switch jobs or advance."

"I'm not switching," said Garrett. "I like the job I have and this team."

Sam and Charlotte nodded. "I think we have a great team in legal," Sam said. "I hope we remain intact."

"I love my job," Gianna said quickly. "I'm busy all day, I'm not stuck behind a desk, I get to interact with everybody. I'm fine where I am."

"I like working with Jasper and HR," Bree said. "There's too much stress on the other teams. I'm not moving."

"I like where I am just fine," Chelsea said.

"I appreciate your willingness to stay in operations," I said. "But I'm just putting it out there. Some of the open positions may pay more and you may change your mind. I won't hold it against you."

They all nodded, but I could tell in their eyes they weren't really willing to leave. I felt good about that actually.

"And while we're on the subject of pay," I said. "I want to assure you that I'll be giving everyone a review very soon. I mean like next week. Carlisle said he wasn't sure if anyone in operations ever had a review. Has anyone had one?"

"I have, from Caius," Alice said. "But that was in January, and I didn't get a raise because he said we didn't have the money. He promised he'd give me another review next month."

That was the same thing he'd told me.

"What about you, Jasper?" I asked.

"Never," he replied with annoyance. "I brought it up to Esme more times than you can count."

I sighed. "That sucks," I said bluntly as the others chuckled. "Because you and Alice have been here longer than anyone."

They both nodded and smiled at each other sadly.

"I was going to do new assessments with everyone anyway," I said. "We'll just make them reviews. I haven't been the chief for very long, but I've been here for four months now and I've worked with all of you. I'll be fair."

"We'll nag you til we get those reviews," Peter said playfully, though I knew he was serious. "We should've all had them at the three-month mark at least, but it never happened."

"You won't have to nag me," I stated. "Reviews are at the top of my priority list."

I really couldn't doubt them for not believing me. I probably would have doubted me too knowing the history of this place.

"I only have one more thing for now," I said. "When you get back to your desks, e-mail me with your schedule, so I can get a rough idea of when you're all here. Let me know what times you get here, what times you leave, when you generally eat lunch. Also, if you think of anything you need to do your job that you don't have, let me know that too."

Everyone jotted down notes on their own papers or notepads while I tried to think of what else I wanted to say while I had them all gathered.

"Oh yeah," I said. "One more thing. The other chiefs have mentioned bringing on a few interns in their groups. I think that's a really good idea for us too. I think that could work for HR, legal, and marketing."

"I said that a long time ago," Charlotte said as she shook her head.

"I think that's a really good idea," said Peter.

"I think it could help us too," Jasper said.

"Okay, sounds like you all think it's a good idea," I said. "If you could go back and talk among your groups on your own, I'd appreciate it. Send me an e-mail by the end of the week with how many people, full-time staff and interns, you think your group would like to add. Put as many as you think. We might not be able to add them all, but you never know. Carlisle is serious about adding more staff right now, so it's a good time."

"Do we have enough money for all this hiring?" Gianna asked warily.

"I wondered the same thing," Chelsea said as a few others mumbled in assent.

"Jake and Carlisle are very confident that we do, so long as we keep bringing in clients," I said.

"But we just fired Tanya and for all her faults, she was pretty good at that," Jared said.

"I know, but until Edward and Heidi decide who to put in the new business group," I said, "they're relying heavily on marketing to bring clients in."

"That's called job security for me and Jared," said Peter, the marketing director, as we cracked up laughing.

"I'm thinking we might need to have a conference marketing team and an advertising and promotions team," I said, looking at Peter and Jared. "So you two let me know what your thoughts are on that."

"Will do," Peter said. "I like it already."

Looking at Jared, our graphic designer, made one last task pop into my head.

"Jared," I said somberly, "if you haven't already, you should take Caius's name off the website as CEO and replace it with Carlisle."

"I'll do it as soon as I'm back at my desk," he said quietly.

"That's all I have for now," I said to the group. "Thank you and I'm looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts."

I received many more congratulations and words of encouragement as my group filed out of the room. Only Gianna and Alice remained. Gianna seemed upset about something.

"I know what you're thinking with that maintenance position," she said as she stood to leave.

I seriously had no idea what she was talking about and I said so.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I know you made that up for Liam," she said as she gave me a stern look.

I gasped and grabbed her hand. "I honestly hadn't thought about him but Gianna that would be..."

"You really didn't make that up for him?" she asked. "It's a nice gesture, but I don't want you abusing your position for us."

"I swear I hadn't thought of him at all," I said. "I've been thinking we needed somebody like that since you started actually."

"Why when I started?" she asked.

"The meeting services people before you sat in with the I.T. team and that was a disaster," I said. "Caius wanted you where you are now, which actually used to be the company library."

"I didn't know that," Gianna said in surprise. "Maybe you told me, but I don't remember."

"It was," Alice said. "The day you interviewed, Caius had us set it up as an office, and Jasper got Jake and Ben to help move the furniture."

"And Tanya and Jessica made snide comments about us not having 'people' to do moving and stuff like that," I said.

"They would," Gianna said as she rolled her eyes.

"But I've thought since then that we really_ do _need someone like that," I said. "We can't just rely on Jasper or whoever can help do all that stuff. It should be somebody's job."

"You're right," Gianna said. "I honestly thought you were only making up a job for Liam."

"I'm not trying to control all the McCartys. I'm not Maggie," I said as she snorted and laughed. "I don't think about you 24/7. Sorry."

"Okay, I get it," she said with a grin. "I didn't mean to falsely accuse you."

"Would it be such a bad idea?" Alice asked.

"We worked together before, at Eclipse, and when it closed, we both lost our jobs," Gianna said. "We agreed we'd never do that again."

"When you put it that way," I said.

"Besides, he really likes his job," Gianna said. "It doesn't pay as much as his old one, which was rough when I wasn't working, but now that I am, things are a lot better."

"I'm glad," Alice said.

"Thanks," Gianna said. "But there's also the fact that Eclipse was such a big company, we never saw each other at work unless we wanted to. Here, we'd see each other all the time. I love him, but no fucking thank you."

Alice and I howled with laughter at her expression.

"Okay, that's a 'no' to Liam working at ATS," I said as I continued to chuckle.

* * *

Now that the worst was over, I hoped anyway, I returned to my office feeling much more encouraged about my job. I took a moment to check my many cell phone messages.

"_We're about to leave now," Emmett said. "I'll call when I get checked in at the hotel. Thanks for listening before. You've got your own shit right now, and you don't need mine. Love you."_

I had a very strong suspicion that New Business would be listening to me have a few rants like the one he had this morning in the future, so I couldn't hold it against him.

"_Hi, Bella, it's Maggie. I know you're super duper busy today, but I wanted to thank you for Christmas dinner. It turned out great. The kids can't stop talking about your family. And guess what? I'm having lunch with Brett's mom today. Talk to you soon!"_

"Maybe she'll pressure Emily and Brett now, and get off our back," I mumbled as I listened to the next message.

"_Morning, kid," said Charlie. "Sorry I wasn't up when you left. Too much good food and talking last night. Hey, guess what? Harry's taking me down to his station to show me around. Oh, and me and Sue might stick around another night. Bye."_

Harry and my dad seemed well on the way to becoming BFFs. I chuckled and continued on to the next message.

"_Bella? It's Emily. Thank you so so much for listening to me and talking to mom about Brett. I feel like a huge weight's been lifted off of me, and Brett's so happy. He wants us to double date soon. I've never done that before. Let me know! Have a good day."_

I wasn't averse to the idea of double-dating with Emily and Brett. The issue was _time_: Emmett and I didn't have much of it.

"_Hey, sweetie," said Renée. "First of all, don't take any bullshit from those little bastards you work with. Second, have a great day and don't worry about any of us. Harry took Charlie out, Sue and Phil are going out together to do who knows what, and Angie's on her way to get me. She asked me to look at wedding dresses with her. I'M SO EXCITED. Love ya, baby. See you tonight."_

"Better Angie than me," I said with a chuckle.

I'd apparently just missed the last message, from Angie, by about ten minutes.

"_It's me," she said. "We decided to have dinner at my place tonight, so be here by six. Everybody else knows already. Hope you're having a good day. I'm sure you're handling everything just fine, like usual. See you later!"_

"At least they're all entertained," I said with relief as I stood up.

I decided to ask Ben whether he was aware of the dinner he'd be having tonight.

"Yes, I've been informed," he said with a chuckle when I reached his desk and asked him. "I loved your parents. It'll be fine."

"They're no Angel and Mrs. Weber, but they'll do," I said with a smirk.

"Thank god for that," he said with a frown. "I couldn't wait to get away from those two. The rest of Angie's family seemed like decent people, but those two are unbearable."

"Preaching to the choir," I said as he laughed.

I left to return to my desk and ran into Carlisle, Edward, Jake, and Rose in the lobby waiting for the elevator.

"We were just looking for you," Carlisle said. "I thought you went to lunch."

"Told you we should've paged her," Edward said.

"We can page people?" I asked.

They all laughed. "Yes, there's an intercom," Rose said.

"I had no idea," I said. "I've never heard it used."

"I think that falls under your department, chief," Jake said as the others chuckled. "You should know these things."

"Well now I do," I replied with a grin as the elevator arrived.

"We're headed up to see the eleventh floor," Carlisle said. "Do you have time?"

I nodded and piled onto the elevator with them. Since it was only one floor up, we got right off and stepped into the perfectly empty floor. It was very 'creepy' to use Alice's word from earlier.

"What happened to that advertising company that was up here?" Jake asked as we followed Carlisle.

"They folded over the summer," Carlisle said. "They couldn't afford it anymore. I hear they had mountains of debt."

"They only had half the floor anyway," Rose said. "Another company had an offer for their half but that fell through too."

"That's why I wanted to bring you all up here," Carlisle said. "I want to get the whole floor for ATS."

"Rose and Carlisle wanted the whole floor all along," Edward said to me and Jake. "But Caius and I weren't really sure we needed the extra expense."

"What do you think now?" Jake asked.

Edward sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Now that I had to spend more time with him, I noticed that he did that a lot.

"I'm nervous as hell about all of this," Edward said bluntly. "This will obviously cost more than just half, and we're talking about bringing in almost twenty new staff and interns. We have more clients and some promising new leads, but I'm being honest here. I'm nervous."

I had to turn from him so he didn't see me roll my eyes. This was the difference between Edward and Emmett in a nutshell: attitude.

Edward was the fucking head of sales, if he was any good, he'd say something like, "Next year, we'll _definitely_ bring in more clients to pay for all this." Now, for the second time today, he said he was nervous. I would've been more concerned about the state of the sales team, but Heidi was sharp as a tack, and Seth was eager to prove himself. Despite their less-than-confident leader, those two would work as hard as they could to bring in more business.

"The money guys don't look too worried," I said, "so I won't stress about it either."

Carlisle and Jake laughed.

"If we had to pay for all those salaries in full all at once, that would be a problem," Rose said. "But that's not the case."

Jake nodded. "It's all in how you work the numbers," he said eagerly. "If you amortize the cost of the..."

For easily the next ten minutes, Jake and Carlisle, with occasional help from Rose, talked about all the ways the various company expenses were accounted for in the finance and accounting department.

"And it's better to get it now," Carlisle said, his eyes bright from talking about his obvious true love: money.

"Because it's still 2012," Jake said quickly, "and there's a tax break we can get for..."

They started again until I interrupted.

"Okay, thank you for the economics lesson," I yelled over them, causing them all to crack up laughing, even Rose.

"I have no problem if you want the whole floor," I said. "If we're really getting all these new people, they'll need to sit somewhere. Edward?"

"Do it if you want," he replied as he looked at Carlisle. "Just don't make me listen to any more finance talk."

We chuckled again, and followed Carlisle through the floor.

"I do _not_ want to take over my father's office downstairs," he said. "So Kate and I will move up here."

"We can have a real call center for the customer service group too," Rose said as she looked around.

"So just I.T. is moving up here?" Jake asked.

"I think finance should move up too," Carlisle said. "I wanted to talk about that. I have a feeling Bella will be adding quite a few people to her team and she'll need more space."

I nodded and listened as the others talked about where to move everyone.

"Kate and I will work on the space and seating charts," Carlisle said. "Once I decide on the general areas, you can decide about individual seats and who gets offices and who doesn't and all that fun stuff."

"What_ will _we do about Caius's office?" I asked. "I don't want it. Too many reminders."

"Yeah," Rose said sadly.

"I don't want it either," said Edward, shaking his head.

"Maybe we can move HR to that corner," I said. "Then, we could make Caius's office a testing area or another interview room or something, and the outer part, where Alice used to sit, could be the HR reception area. They definitely need more space and more privacy."

"That's an excellent idea," Carlisle said as he made a note.

We talked for a little longer until we were joined by a woman and a man. Carlisle introduced the woman as a realtor; the man was a representative of building management. Apparently, I needed to meet him because I needed to be a contact, along with Carlisle, for updates from them about maintenance and security among other things.

"When it comes time to move all the furniture in here," he told us sternly, "that needs to come through our office. We have service elevators, but we have to schedule them. There are other companies in the building too."

We stayed upstairs for quite a long time going over plans, while Carlisle met with the realtor and the building guy.

"The move is happening in two weeks," Rose said. "We might as well really talk about the seating and floor plan while we're here."

"You're right," Jake said.

Everything seemed to go fairly well until we talked about where I would sit.

"I'm keeping my office," I said. "I like where I am now."

"You're right by reception, really out in the open," Jake said. "Don't you want more privacy?"

"Everybody can walk by and see what you're doing," Edward said. "I wouldn't want that."

"I don't have anything to hide," I said. "I like being accessible. I want people to know if I'm available."

"You say that now," Rose said. "But they'll be knocking on your door all the time."

"It's up to you," Edward said, "but it'll be easier to move when everyone else does. It might not be so easy later on."

"I'll be fine," I said.

When we finally made it back downstairs, I'd received e-mails from my whole team. They'd provided the information I'd requested, and to a person, they'd expressed happiness to be on my team. I was truly touched. I spent the rest of my day answering messages and adding notes to my ever-growing list of things to do.

At 3:15, I'd had enough. I sent a note to my team that I was leaving, then I walked to Carlisle's office.

"I promise I won't be leaving early every day," I said as he smiled at me. "But I'm done for today. I'm going home right now, and I won't be checking my e-mail."

He chuckled. "Understood," he replied. "I think that today went about as well as I could have hoped. I'm not going to keep saying it over and over, but thank you, Bella. For everything."

I smiled and turned to leave. "If you need me," I said, "call my cell."

* * *

I drove home, feeling mentally drained the whole way. I wanted to take a long bath and go to sleep, but that was out of the question. This was my last night with my parents and I wanted to spend as much time as I could with them.

I didn't like feeling like my time was not my own, but unfortunately of late, that was a constant feeling. I was absolutely glad that Emmett was in my life now and I loved the challenge of my job, but I needed to figure out how to keep a little time for me.

Nobody was at home when I arrived. I wouldn't even allow myself to so much as sit on the edge of the bed because I knew if I did, I'd be asleep in seconds. I took a quick shower to wake myself up a bit, then I changed into jeans and a sweater. Even the sectional looked too enticing as tired as I was, so I sat at the dining room table and called New Business.

"What time are you leaving work?" he asked. "You were there pretty early today."

"I left. I'm back home," I said.

"Good," he replied. "How'd it go?"

"Fast," I said. "But not all that bad."

I gave him a brief recap of my day then I began to lay the groundwork for a little plan I'd hatched on the way home.

"I've decided to send you a care package since you were so abruptly stolen away from me," I said as he laughed. "Tell me your hotel, and your room number."

He obliged, and I wrote down what he said.

"I wish you could send me you," he said as I laughed.

"I wish," I said. "But I have to go into the office Saturday. We have to start planning the move upstairs."

"Yeah, I know," he said solemnly. "You're big shit now. I get it."

I chuckled, trying not to laugh too hard at his pain. "Don't be sad," I said. "I promise I'll send you something good."

"Make sure you do," he said.

"How was your day?" I asked. "And do you really have to be there until Monday?"

"Yes, and other than not wanting to be here in the first place, I have no complaints about my day," he said. "Will, that's the VP, told me on the plane ride that he can't leave for the new job until he gets somebody to replace him, and he thinks I'd be perfect."

"But you _just_ started there," I said, repeating my thoughts from this morning.

"I said that," he replied. "I've said it repeatedly, but he says most of the other managers are married and settled and there's tons of travel and he thinks I'd be perfect."

"What about your boss?" I asked. "He can't be happy about this."

"He's not," he replied. "But Will is _his_ boss. It's not like we can say 'no'. Will thinks he can persuade me if I see what he does for myself."

"I'm sorry," I said. "It's great that he thinks you can handle this, but I'm saying it again, you just started there. There have to be people in line for his job."

"I said all that," he said with a sigh. "He wants me. He says he can see how people respond to me and that I'm a strong leader and take charge and learn fast. He says that's all that's needed. He's already been introducing me to people and shit. It's nuts."

"You can look at it as a learning experience, I guess," I replied.

"Yeah, that's one way to look at it," he said bitterly. "I gotta go. I'll call you later."

Since he'd confirmed that he'd be there all weekend, I hurriedly grabbed my wallet so that I could book my flight. On the way home, I'd decided to go stay with him for the weekend. We were just getting into a routine, and that got blown to hell with the holidays and my family coming to town. I missed him, and I was _going_ to see him.

I wouldn't do this often, but this time, I needed him. And I knew that he needed me too. I'd asked him for his room number under the guise of sending him a package. I'd have to think of something to send him to keep up the rouse. I'd do that later on.

I'd just finished printing my receipt when Charlie called.

"You home yet?" he asked. "I don't see your car."

"I'm here," I replied. "I had to park further out in the lot."

"Good, I'm outside," he replied as he ended the call.

I opened the door and saw him getting out of Harry's police car. Harry stayed in the car but waved to me. I waved back, and my dad did too as Harry drove away.

"You look entirely too happy," I said to Charlie when he stepped inside.

"It was a good day," he said with a grin. "Always nice to see how other units operate."

"What did you do all day?" I asked.

"Went to his station, met all his friends, went to lunch, rode around," he replied.

"All on the taxpayers' dime, huh?" I asked as he laughed.

"Hey, we're a brotherhood," he replied as I chuckled. "I'm glad you live here. I saw some rough parts of the city today. Harry said he checked out this complex. Not much crime."

"I like it here," I said. "I do feel safe, and it's pretty quiet."

"He said he'd keep an eye on you," Charlie said. "He's a good guy."

"I think so too," I replied, as I plated a few leftovers from Christmas dinner to heat in the microwave.

"I thought we were eating over at Angie's?" he said as he looked at the plate longingly.

"I've barely eaten all day," I said. "I didn't want to go over there starving."

"Good point," he said. "I'm gonna change for dinner and I think I'll join you."

Sue and Phil returned next, laughing their heads off when I opened the door for them.

"What did you two do all day?" I asked.

"First, we had lunch at a diner we both saw on the Food Network," Sue said. "Then, we went to see _The Hobbit_. Nobody back home would go see it with me."

"Same with me," Phil said with a grin. "Then we went to a mall. I wasn't aware that you could go to a mall with a woman and not be forced to buy something."

Sue and I cackled with laughter. I was actually a little jealous though. I couldn't remember the last time I went to see a movie. I'd been too busy.

"Enough about us," Sue said. "Tell us about your first day as chief."

We all ended up eating some of the leftovers from last night, and I told them about the day as we ate. When it was time to leave, we piled into my car and I drove to Angie's. They pressed for even more details of my job, from how the chiefs treated me to how my coworkers reacted to me. I was surprised by their level of interest, but they all seemed very proud of me.

Renée hijacked all conversation when we arrived at Angie and Ben's; she'd had a full day too and wanted us all to hear about it.

"I love this house," she said. "Something like this would be perfect for you and Emmett. When you're ready."

I was about to make a comment about not pressuring us, when Angie popped up behind her.

"Where is Emmett?" she asked.

"Sacramento," I replied. "Don't ask. He's there for work and he's not happy."

Everyone looked at me sadly before Angie and Ben exchanged a glance, then informed us that we'd been duped. Kind of.

"So, I kind of told a teeny tiny fib about dinner," Angie said as she grinned at Ben.

"I wondered why I didn't smell any food cooking," Charlie said as we cracked up laughing.

"She said she was ordering out," Renée said. "I didn't question it."

"We're actually having dinner at my parents' home," Ben said with the biggest smile I'd ever seen from him.

Now, my parents didn't understand that this was a big deal, but I did, especially after reading Carlisle's write-up about Ben this morning.

"I've met Ben's folks several times," Angie said. "They want to meet mine too. And they will, in time."

"You may not know this," Ben said, blushing a little. "But my great-grandfather started a medical supply company, and it's grown, quite a lot, over the years."

"Like needles and gloves and things like that?" Phil asked.

"More like machines they use in hospitals for surgery," Angie said proudly.

"They do both on some level," Ben said. "And there's also the pharmacy delivery service. That's been very lucrative."

"So, what you're saying is you're filthy rich and you're taking us to dinner at your family's mansion," Charlie said. "Is that it?"

"That's about the size of it," Angie said with a chuckle.

I laughed heartily, along with Charlie, Phil, and Sue. However, my mom, the social climber, looked stunned by this news.

"We're very careful about who we bring to my parents' home," Ben said. "I wanted to meet Angie's family before I brought them there. Her father and brothers seem like genuine people."

"You don't have to finish that sentence," Sue said as we all cackled.

"Even I know about Mrs. Weber and Angel," Phil said as we continued to laugh about Angie's mom and sister.

"I know they'll be considered my family," Ben said, "but frankly, I just don't like those two. They're very superficial and money-hungry, and I don't like how they treat Angie. I don't want them in my parents' home. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh."

We were all too busy laughing to decide whether it sounded harsh or not, especially my mom. From what I'd been told growing up, Mrs. Weber had judged Renée harshly when my parents divorced, and Renée never forgot it.

"I want Ben's parents to meet some of my family," Angie said. "Charlie and Renée, you've always been like parents to me, so I'd like for you to meet his folks."

"I could tell right away that you were genuine people when I met you last night," Ben said. "I would like for you to meet my parents. That way, they'll see that Angie _does_ have decent people in her life and they won't be so put off whenever they meet her mother and sister."

"Fine with me," Charlie said. "You passed my inspection too, you know."

Angie and I both snorted a little as Ben squirmed. Charlie Swan was being very serious, whether Ben realized it or not.

"Angie is like a daughter to me and you two have moved fast with this engagement," Charlie continued. "You seem like a good guy. But I've got my eye on you, and don't forget it. I don't care how much money you have."

"Yes, sir," Ben said quickly. "I understand."

"Thanks, _dad_," Angie said as the rest of us chuckled. "You guys will love the Cheneys. They're not stuffy like you might be thinking. They're pretty funny."

I stood to leave and my parents stood too. "Are we following you over or..."

"No," Ben said. "My mom's sending her driver."

I almost felt my mom's mouth hit the floor as Phil and Sue chuckled.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're about to take us to some twenty-bedroom mansion with ten cars and grounds as far as the eye can see?" I asked with a smirk.

Ben laughed. "We don't have twenty bedrooms," he said. "Not quite."

My mom collapsed back down on the couch when he said that, causing me to laugh all over again.

"Are we dressed all right?" she asked as she looked around at us.

My mom had overdressed for her day out with Angie, unsurprisingly. Sue, Phil, Charlie, and I all looked presentable and clean, but Renée looked askance at our shabby sweaters, jeans, sneakers, and boots.

"You're perfectly fine," Ben said as a knock sounded on the door.

"Let's go," Angie said brightly.

We put our coats back on while she greeted the suit-wearing driver who stood at the door to collect us.

Charlie and Sue whistled when we walked outside and saw the long sleek car waiting to take us away. As everyone got inside, Phil whispered to me.

"When you said you had a life now, you really meant it," he said with a grin. "I'm gonna need a vacation from this vacation."

"You and me both," I replied as he cracked up laughing.

* * *

For the most part, the image of the grand, huge, palatial estate I had in my mind's eye matched Ben's family home. Having not seen much of Seattle, I'd been unaware that places like this existed in the area.

"You just forgot to mention all this," I said to Angie when I stepped out of the car.

"What could I say?" she replied with a sheepish grin. "Hey, Bella, Ben's family lives in freaking mansion. How would that sound?"

"I get it. It's just a little crazy," I said as I looked around the expansive grounds.

"How do you think I feel?" she asked as we laughed together. "It was like culture shock the first time I came here."

As we walked inside, a butler took all of our coats: I didn't know people really had butlers. But the Cheneys did, and they clearly had many more staff because the giant house was immaculate.

"How much do you think they spent on the Christmas decorations alone?" Phil whispered to me as we chuckled together.

As Angie and Ben introduced us to his family, it became fairly obvious that they'd told them all about me.

"Bella, I'm so happy to meet you," Ben's mom said, actually hugging me though I'd never met her. "Angie and Ben have told us all about you."

"Good things, I hope," I replied as I carefully removed myself from her tight grasp.

"They wouldn't have met if not for you," she replied. "We love Angie, so that makes you important around here."

"We're thrilled for Angie," my mom said, finally piping up. "She's always been like a daughter to us. She's a great girl. Ben's very lucky."

As more introductions were made, Ben's dad lingered and kept smiling at me. It was becoming a little unnerving.

"I've been hoping to meet you," he said with a big grin.

"What have you been telling him?" I asked Ben.

"He told me you worked directly with Caius Cullen," his dad said, still grinning. "That makes you a saint in my book because I've met the man, and he's a first-class prick."

I was too taken aback to be offended as Ben and his dad laughed and led me inside behind the others, but that remark definitely set the brash tone for the evening.

In addition to Ben's parents, we also met all of his siblings - - all younger, a brother and two sisters - - and all of their spouses. Both of his sisters as well as his sister-in-law were pregnant.

"Now if we can get Angie knocked up, we'll have a full set," his mom said excitedly as they laughed.

"This should be some night," Sue whispered to me. "They're _lively_."

Dinner with the Cheneys was both formal and informal. We ate around a huge dining room table that seemed to go on for miles. However, the meal itself, served by several staff, was very normal: a choice of meatloaf, baked chicken, or vegetarian lasagna for the main course, with soup and salad leading up to that. Dessert was apple pie. All simple, all delicious.

Ben and one of his sisters were definitely the most quiet and reserved of the clearly tight-knit family. I could tell that Ben shared a lot with them, his parents in particular. Conversation flowed steadily all night long; Angie fit right in and I enjoyed seeing her and Ben interact.

I talked, smiled, and laughed with the others but I couldn't help feeling a little envious. I'd never spent one time with Emmett's family without some sort of argument or some level of tension. Seeing Ben's family was a stark contrast.

I thought on it more after dinner as I slipped away to the family's beautiful library.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked as he came in, startling me.

"And don't say nothing," said my mom who followed him.

Too tired to attempt to cover the truth, I told them what had me so deep in thought.

"It's a big contrast, seeing Ben's family and Emmett's," I said. "They could just be putting on a front for us, but they really seem happy. I know the money has a hell of a lot to do with that, but it's just not what I've experienced with the McCartys. Maybe I'm a little jealous."

"There's definitely tension in Emmett's family," Charlie said. "There's love too, no doubt, but definitely tension. You love him, so you get involved too. All you can do is hope they get counseling like they say they will. But you can't fix all their problems, so don't try to."

"I've watched you and Emmett since I've been here," Renée said. "I'm sorry I was so pushy in the beginning. You _should_ take things slow with him, like you have been, because he draws on your energy. I can almost see it. That's a lot for you to handle. I get it now."

"I feel like our lives are completely intertwined," I said. "And I'm not sure how I feel about that. When he's upset, I am too. When he's happy, I'm happy. When he's stressed, so am I. I just didn't think a relationship would be so intense."

"That's love," Charlie said. "It's rough to deal with sometimes but you'll be okay. It's worth it."

"He's right," Renée said. "You feel it so intensely because you're so serious about him. You'll learn how to balance your life with his, but it'll take time. You're great about speaking up when things don't feel right because you have great instincts. Don't stop speaking your mind. Don't lose yourself."

They hugged me in turn, and I was so glad we'd had this time to talk.

"Everything okay?" Angie asked as she walked in, followed by Ben.

"Yeah," I said. "I just have a lot going on right now. You and I really need to catch up, but I can't even say when I'll have time to catch up, and I hate that."

"I promise I'll get on your schedule," she said as we laughed. "Even if I have to call Alice to do it."

For the countless time this week, I thanked my lucky stars for my family and friends. I would have collapsed under the weight of my new life without them.

* * *

Even though I said I wouldn't, I cried like a baby when I hugged all my parents goodbye on Thursday morning.

"You owe us a visit now," my mom said tearfully.

"I'll visit soon, I promise," I said as I wiped away tears of my own.

"Remember, delegate," Phil said when I hugged him. "You can't do everything yourself. You'll make yourself crazy if you try."

I nodded and turned to Sue who held me tightly.

"Come soon or we'll come and get you ourselves," she said as she kissed my cheek.

"I will," I said, sniffling. "I'll bring Emmett too."

"You come soon and get what you want out of your old room at the house," Charlie said, causing me to sob even more.

"I'm proud of you," Charlie said as he held me. "You'll be fine. Just don't try to do too much."

After a chorus of goodbyes and I love you's, I finally drove off. Charlie and Sue said they'd be leaving not long after me, and Renée and Phil would be driving the rental car to the airport for their afternoon flight. Angie sweetly volunteered to come over and lock up the apartment when they left.

At work, I took a few moments to look at some pictures of my parents I'd taken on my phone. I was almost on the verge of becoming teary again when Rose knocked on the door then stepped inside.

"Good morning," she said. "I have your new iPhone."

She stared at me for a moment when she saw my face, clearly debating whether to ask if I was all right.

"I didn't know I'd be getting an iPhone," I said to prevent her from asking me any personal questions.

"Yes, we all use them," she said, "It's set up so you can check your e-mail on this too."

She spent the next few minutes going over the sheet she'd brought with her with passwords and instructions as well as the rules regarding use of the phone. She finished, then stood to leave. When she reached the door, she turned back around.

"I wondered if maybe we could go to lunch today, just you and me," she said quickly.

I paused in surprise as she stared back at me nervously.

"I'd like that," I said when I recovered, "but could we maybe do it Monday? I'm trying to get my reviews written up and done this week."

"Yes," she said, "that's more important. We'll do Monday."

"It's a date," I said with a chuckle. She smiled weakly and left.

After a morning meeting with the executive team, I needed to mail my care package for Emmett. Last night, we didn't get home from dinner and talking with the Cheneys until almost ten, so I had no time to shop for something to send him.

With few options, I settled on a matching set of bra and panties that I'd bought recently because I loved the paisley print on them. They weren't meant as lingerie, but New Business hadn't seen them. I needed to send something and I was desperate. I sprayed them with my favorite body splash and put them in the gift box.

This morning, still not satisfied with the 'package', I decided to stop at a drugstore near my house that I knew opened early. There, I found a pair of reading glasses and a box of lube 'for couples': I was just too curious about that not to buy it. Those purchases would have to do.

I hurriedly grabbed the bag with the gift box and headed for the lobby. I was in such a hurry that I almost ran right into Ben.

"I wanted to talk to you, but I'll come back," he said.

"I'm just going down the street to the FedEx-mail place," I said. "Care to join me? I'm coming right back."

"Sure," he replied.

"I'll wait while you get your coat," I said.

"I'll be fine," he said as we walked to the elevator.

He began talking once we got outside. "I wanted to thank you for meeting with my parents last night," he said. "We know we sort of ambushed you, but the idea only came to us after we had such a good time on Christmas night at your place."

"It was no problem at all," I said. "I've been wanting to spend more time with you and Angie, but time is something I'm really short on these days."

"We know," he said. "Now that I've met her family, I understand your relationship a lot more. I'm happy that she has you and your parents in her life."

"She's the best friend-sister I could ever have," I said as he laughed.

"My mom was so happy to finally meet somebody from Angie's life," he said.

"They'll have to meet her family eventually," I said with a chuckle.

"I know," he said. "But I'm putting that off as long as I can."

We laughed and talked more as we arrived at the store. I read the pricing list as we stood in line.

"You could've sent whatever this is from work," Ben said. "We have accounts with FedEx and UPS."

"I could have, yes," I replied with a grin. "But I'm not."

"Okay," he said, smiling. "I won't pry."

I _had_ thought about mailing this from the office, but with my luck, I knew just what would occur: some crazy shit would happen at the shipping place, the box would get returned to ATS, some big mouth would find it, and see that it was sent from me to Emmett. They'd open it before they gave it back to me and everybody would know I sent him panties, lube, and glasses, from work no less. Nope. Didn't need that drama.

When it was my turn in line, I showed the box I was sending and explained that I needed it to arrive by noon tomorrow. After fitting my box into theirs and filling out the label, I paid, took my receipt, and left with Ben.

"I know Emmett's in sales," Ben said. "But I'm surprised he's been traveling so much so soon. He just started there."

"They love him," I said with a sigh as we walked back to the building. "This time, he's job-shadowing the regional vice president."

"Damn, that was fast," he said. "How do you feel about that?"

"I'm not happy," I admitted. "I don't think he wants to leave Seattle. But I get the feeling this won't be the last time he's pushed for something like this."

"Some people are career-first, fast-track guys," Ben said. "Other people are family guys. That's me, and I think that's Emmett too."

"Is that why you stopped working for your family's business?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't mind the question.

"Yes," he replied. "I love my family and when I was younger, I loved working with my dad and the rest. But that job became my whole life, especially after the expansion into the pharmacy delivery. I was completely burned out. I wanted to keep working but I needed a break from Cheney. The job with ATS was perfect because it was pretty basic, but I knew the company was growing and I could take on more responsibility in the future if I wanted."

Once again, I thought about the different lives of Emmett and Ben.

Ben had the luxury of deciding to take a step back in his career because money had never been an issue for him. He didn't even have to work if he didn't want to. That had never been the case for New Business, especially since he felt responsible for supporting his family. I wasn't judging either one of them, but I couldn't help but think about the contrast.

"Don't worry about Emmett," Ben said. "Now that you're in his life, he knows what's important."

"Thanks," I said as we entered the building lobby. "I haven't had a chance to ask Angie, so I'll ask you. Have you set a date yet?"

Ben smiled. "No, not yet," he said. "Whatever Angie wants is fine with me."

We talked a little more as we rode upstairs on the elevator, then parted company. Ben seemed very solid, just like Emmett; I was happy that Angie had someone like him in her life.

Back in my office, I had one mission and one mission only: reviews. I decided to send a message to make my intentions for the rest of the week very clear.

**Thursday, December 27, 2012 9:53 AM  
To: **Operations Team  
**CC:** Executive Team  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **Operations Team Reviews

As you all know, the operations team has a lengthy list of needs. However, I place performance reviews (and merit-based increases) for each team member at the very top of the list as they are long overdue.

To review work performance, I will use the information garnered from the assessments I performed several months ago, along with my own personal observations and experiences. This may not be the procedure for future reviews, but it will be for this one.

If left relatively undisturbed, I can write up all of the reviews today and tomorrow. Then, I'll send them to each of you so that you have time to read them and formulate questions, thoughts, or concerns for our face-to-face meetings.

I will ask Alice to schedule those meetings for Monday, December 31, or Wednesday, January 2.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

**~ * NBG * ~**

In minutes, I received a reply that made me cackle with laughter.

**From: **Jasper Whitlock  
**Sent: **Thursday, December 27, 2012 9:57 AM  
**To:** Operations Team, Executive Team  
**CC: ** Bella Swan  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **RE: Operations Team Reviews

I want my "merit-based increase" so leave Bella the _ alone!

If you have an emergency, see me or Alice; we'll figure it out. Spread the word ;0)

**~ * NBG * ~**

Per Jasper's mandate, I spent Thursday in peace as I wrote reviews and performance goals, then stressed over how much of a pay increase I should give to each member of the team.

At 7:38 p.m., I completed and sent my last review and went home. After a long bath, phone calls to New Business, Charlie, and lastly Renée, I sank into bed and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

* * *

"Alice, did Caius ever use a car service to take him to the airport?" I asked when she entered my office on Friday morning.

"Yes," she said. "Do you need it?"

"I do," I replied. "I'll give you my credit card number. I trust..."

She chuckled. "No, we have an account," she said.

"But this isn't work related," I said. "I just don't want to deal with all the traffic to the airport when I leave tonight."

"If you think Caius only used that account for work-related stuff, you're nuts," she said.

"Well then, just this once," I said as she grinned. "Could you arrange it to pick me up at five today?"

"Sure thing," she said. "I don't know where you're going, but you will be coming back on Monday, won't you? My new raise won't be official until we both sign my performance review."

I cracked up laughing. "Yes, I'll be back Sunday night, and no, I'm not telling you where I'm going, so don't ask."

She laughed this time. "You know me well," she said. "And thank you for what you wrote in my review. I thought it was really fair and I'm happy to finally get a raise. The goals that you set were good too; it's nice to have an idea of what I'm actually expected to be doing."

"You're welcome, Alice," I said sincerely.

We got back to work then and she informed me that she'd scheduled all of the review meetings with the members of the team. I was quickly realizing that not letting Edward take Alice as his assistant was one of the smartest things I'd ever done.

After my meeting with Alice, and another with the executive team, the morning flew by, and I liked it that way. I'd been a bundle of nerves when I woke up this morning and hastily packed a bag for my trip to Sacramento tonight. I'd realized then that I'd rather leave my car in the garage at work than fight traffic to the airport. I needed to do what I could so that I didn't arrive at Emmett's hotel a nervous, frazzled mess.

All morning, I wondered whether he'd been left alone long enough to receive the package I'd sent him. He told me last night that Will, the regional VP, had every minute of his trip planned. At about 12:30, I got my answer when New Business called.

"What you call a care package, I call torture," he said as I laughed.

"What?" I asked innocently. "I thought you could picture me wearing those and make things a little easier on yourself, so to speak."

"You'll pay for this the next time I get my hands on you," he said.

"I'm shaking in fear over here," I said as he guffawed.

We talked briefly until he had to leave. I couldn't seem to stop smiling for the rest of the day, knowing how happy he would be to see me. And I couldn't kid myself: I couldn't wait to see him too.

_Badly. _

The rest of the day moved quickly as well and I spent most of it reading through the e-mails from my amazing team members with their thoughts on how many more staff we'd need and what needed improvement from their perspectives. I used their notes, and my own, to make a list of new staff I'd be requesting for my team.

"I really hope we can afford all this," I muttered as I reviewed my notes.

At 4:30, I was wrapping up for the day when freaking Rose called the exec team together for another walk-through upstairs.

"Since we're going to have the whole space now," she said, "I think we need a receptionist for this floor too. But that would fall under your group, Bella, so I figured I'd ask what you thought."

"I think it's a good idea," I said. "I'll make a note of it."

They spent the rest of the time deciding about where the finance team should sit. I was just about to bow out and leave when we reached the kitchen and talk did return to me.

"I think we should have a break room up here too," Rose said. "I think Alice has all the contacts for the vending machine people. Can you look into that? We should have the same machines that we have downstairs."

"And see if you can look into some coffee services," Jake said.

"That would be great," Edward said.

"I agree," Carlisle said. "The staff might be more productive if they're not running out to buy coffee all day."

"I'll get right on it," I said.

That seemed to finally wrap up the meeting and we headed back downstairs.

"The car's out front," Alice said, calling me shortly after I reached my desk.

"Thanks so much," I said as I grabbed my carry-on bag and purse, and put on my coat. "I promise I'll be back on Monday."

"Have fun with Emmett," she replied when she hung up the phone.

I wasn't even mad at her for being her usual nosey self. I _absolutely_ planned to have fun with Emmett.

* * *

At 8:50 p.m., I stood in the lobby of New Business's hotel, waiting for the elevator to take me to his floor. For the first time since I'd planned this little trip, my nerves got the better of me.

"You're here now, so suck it up," I muttered to myself as the elevator arrived.

On his floor, I felt sicker and sicker with each step I took down the hall to his room. When I reached his door, I pressed my ear against it to see if I could hear him in there. It kind of sounded like the TV was on, but I wasn't really sure.

I breathed in and out deeply, feeling sillier by the second, before I finally mustered up the courage to loudly knock on the door.

I heard rustling inside, then footsteps, before I heard the aggravated voice of New Business.

"Yeah?" he called aggressively.

"Um, vitamin B delivery," I replied as loudly as I could, which wasn't very loud at all.

He flung the door open and we stared at each other for several shocked moments. He was wearing nothing but sweatpants and socks. The sight of his muscular arms and chest caused my mouth to water. I missed him sooo bad.

He came to before I did, and grinned widely. He stepped back so I could walk inside.

"Surprise?" I said weakly as he shut the door behind me.

Before I could blink, he'd wrapped me up in his firm, taut arms.

"God you smell good," I moaned as I breathed in his scent. His skin was slightly damp as was his hair; he'd clearly just had a shower.

"If I wasn't so fucking horny, I'd be so mad at you for teasing me like that," he said as I cackled.

"When you told me you had to be here all weekend, I knew I had to do something," I said.

"This is the best gift ever," he said, clearly unable to stop grinning, just like me.

I reluctantly pushed against him so I could remove my coat. He took it and draped it on a chair then put my bag up on the dresser. I decided to take off my shoes, tights, and sweater too, which I did as he sat on the bed and watched me. When I was done, I climbed up beside him, then straddled his lap.

"Hi," I said with a stupid smile.

"Hi," he said as he grinned goofily at me.

The niceties ended when we quickly leaned in to each other.

"Fuck I missed you," he whispered as our mouths connected. I ran my hands all over his head and neck while he ran his over my thighs and ass.

"Are you hungry?" he asked when we stopped for air.

I raised an eyebrow at him in reply and smirked.

He laughed, but turned more serious. "Are you on your period?" he asked. "Isn't it almost time?"

"He pays attention," I said as he laughed. "It's due this weekend, but it hasn't started yet, so I suggest you get to work."

"Yes, Madam Bad-Ass," he said with a big grin as he tugged at my dress.

By the time I pulled it up and over my head, he'd already unhooked my bra.

"Fuck I missed_ you_," I said, mimicking his words, as he massaged my breasts roughly and we kissed anew.

He stopped so that I could pull my bra off altogether. Then, I got off of him so that I could remove my panties too. He watched me with hungry eyes as I adjusted the covers and leaned back on the bed.

"Guess I should have pulled those curtains shut," I said with a chuckle.

"I don't care who sees," he said with a wriggle of his eyebrows. He did, however, stop to turn the TV and lamps off.

"I like it like this," I said as the various lights from outside trickled in and reflected around the room.

"I like it with you," Emmett said as he removed his sweatpants and socks and hopped back into bed on top of me.

"Thank you for coming to see me," he said, lightly peppering my face with kisses.

"I missed you," I said. "I need you."

His lips found mine like a magnet and we scrambled to press ourselves together, skin to skin.

"I love you so fucking much," he said, running his hands over me everywhere he could reach.

I could say nothing at the moment; I was lost in the feeling of contentment I had at being back in his arms.

"I hate leaving you," he mumbled against my neck as he kissed and nipped at me there.

I simply nodded, then yanked and tugged at his hair as his mouth moved down and found my sensitive breasts and nipples.

"You're so perfect," he said as we writhed together.

I hissed and shivered as he spread my legs and ground against me with his rapidly hardening cock.

"I'll never take a job so far away from you," he said as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

With the lightest touch of my fingertips, I traced the muscles of his arms and back which twitched and rippled beneath me. On and on, we kissed, caressed, and clung to each other as if it had been months, not merely a week, since we'd been together like this. I could feel wetness along my thigh and there was no way to tell whether it was from him or from me.

When he entered me with an achingly slow thrust, I could almost feel the stress from our jobs and families leave our bodies. This was why I'd needed to see him; we needed to move past all of the anxiety of the last week.

"Mmmm," I groaned when he rolled us over so that I was on top.

"I wanna watch you," he said huskily as I pressed my hands against his chest to steady myself, then leaned back so that I was both upright and astride him.

He held my thighs to steady me as we found a rhythm together and groaned at the new angle.

New Business continued his light stream of chatter as we slowly made love. I didn't feel the need to respond anymore; it was just how he was and what he did.

"I can't believe you're here," he said as he continued to move his hips at a deliciously slow pace under mine.

When I smiled down at him, our eyes connected and remained locked as the rest of our bodies moved. I felt truly thankful for whatever whim or fancy had made me devise the plan to visit him.

His hands moved up and grabbed the cheeks of my ass as his thrusts became more persistent and pronounced.

I leaned forward again, to brace myself, then moaned when he hit a deeper spot within me.

"So good like this," he muttered as his breath became erratic.

With a few more thrusts, he groaned loudly and released. He twitched against my clit, causing my own ascent into oblivion as I collapsed forward onto his chest.

Emmett stroked my hair as I opened my eyes and caught my breath.

"Tell me you're not leaving tomorrow," he said softly when I lifted my head to gaze at him.

"I'm here til Sunday afternoon," I replied with a grin.

"Best news I've had since you showed up at the door," he said as I chuckled.

I was about to reply when my eye caught something on the nightstand: the picture frame I'd given him for Christmas.

"Okay, that's a little much now that I see it in action," I said.

I watched pictures of myself on a slideshow in the frame as New Business laughed.

"It's great. I really love it," he said. "The pictures just keep scrolling through."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes as he kept right on laughing.

"You really are hard to buy for," I said. "I don't know what I'll get for all your birthdays and Christmas every year."

"I have you. I don't need a single other gift," he said as his mouth found mine again.

* * *

I didn't wake up until 12:15 in the afternoon on Saturday. Emmett had already left to do whatever Will had planned for him today, but he left me a note on hotel stationery, and leaned it right up against his pillow.

_Dear Sleepyhead,_

_I couldn't bring myself to actually wake you up, so I let you sleep. But I did NOT want to. _

_Will's got shit planned for me all day, but I left a spare key card on the nightstand if you want to go out. _

_Call me as soon as you wake up. I'll answer. I promise. _

_Love, _

_NB_

_P.S. I love that you came... and came to see me. Ha ha!_

I called him as soon as I finished reading the note. He answered on the second ring.

"And how are we this morning?" he said with a smile in his voice.

"I'm a little disappointed to be honest," I said as I tried not to laugh. "That last part of your love note was so crass. It was beneath you."

"Really, it wasn't," he said as we laughed together.

"Are you finally up now?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "I slept great. I wonder why?"

"I'm glad," he said. "You needed it."

"You don't sound like you're working," I said.

"We're doing a big warehouse tour," he replied tiredly. "I actually just stepped away."

"He's really making a hard press," I said as I yawned.

"He is, but it ain't gonna work," he replied.

"Good," I replied with a genuine smile.

"Uh, hey," he said nervously, "I need to tell you something."

"What did you rope me into?" I asked as he guffawed.

"You know me," he said. "I tried to use you an excuse to get out of dinner, but it backfired. Now Will wants us to go out tonight with him _and_ his wife. Sorry."

"Oh, New Business," I said as he cracked up laughing. "Good thing I'm always two steps ahead of you. I figured I'd be dragged to some dinner or something, so I brought something to wear. I'll go, and I'll even smile and be nice."

"Awesome," he said. "He's got plans for me until this afternoon, so maybe you could do some sightseeing or something."

"The only sightseeing I'll be doing is in this bed," I replied as he laughed again.

"Okay," he said. "I'm not sure when we'll be back, but I'd start getting ready around four."

"Sounds good. I'll see you when you get back," I said as I ended the call.

I wanted to roll back over in bed so badly, but I decided to take a shower and get dressed for the day. I didn't want to leave, but I thought I should so that we could get maid service for the room.

Once I was ready to leave, I removed the "Do Not Disturb" sign, put the room key card into my wallet, and made my way down to the main floor. The hotel featured a nice little restaurant and cafe, so I ordered lunch and checked my work e-mails as I ate.

"I don't like you very much," I muttered to the sleek work iPhone.

It might be "the latest and best and brightest" but I preferred my old phone and had no intention of getting rid of it, no matter how weird it would be with two cell phones in my purse.

After lunch, I took a walk in the area around the hotel and returned to Emmett's freshly cleaned room at about three. I decided to iron my dress - - one of the nicer ones I'd worn a few times to work - - then I called Charlie, Renée, and Angie. Before I knew it, the time on the clock read 4:15.

"Shit," I said as I scrambled into action to get ready for dinner.

* * *

I hadn't even seen Will at the Summit-Meyer holiday party last weekend. Now that I'd met him, I was exceedingly grateful for that bit of luck. I'd been sick of Will and his wife, Dawn, from the moment they picked us up in their flashy car. They were two of the most arrogant people I'd ever met in my life.

Before dinner, they took us to their condo where they made a point of telling us how much it cost, how highly sought after the building was, and how rare and exclusive all the furniture was. Then we went to dinner, at the best restaurant in town according to them, where they just never shut up. I didn't know exactly how old they were, but I knew they were older than us, and they clearly dressed and behaved far younger than their age. I couldn't wait for the night to be over.

When there was an actual lull in the conversation, I excused myself to go to the restroom. Much to my chagrin, Dawn followed me.

"You have great tits. They look so real," she said as she stared directly at my chest.

"That's because they _are _real," I said testily.

"Hard to tell these days," she said without the least hint of apology.

I hoped she'd leave when I entered one of the stalls to pee, but she didn't. She was waiting right there when I exited to wash my hands. Just my luck, we were the only two in the restroom so she kept right on talking.

"Emmett doesn't really seem interested in the job," she said, "but maybe you could _persuade_ him a little. Will's taking over as the eastern region VP and we get to live in New York. I can't fucking wait. But he can't go until he finds a good replacement."

I wanted to tell her to leave me alone, mind her own business, and a whole host of other things, but I couldn't exactly do that in the interests of professionalism. I chose to be a little more diplomatic.

"Emmett's still learning the ropes of his new job, but he does love the company," I said with as much of a smile as I could muster. "I'll see what I can do."

Dawn clasped her hands together and grinned excitedly. "Great," she said. "I've already contacted a realtor in New York. You won't believe how much it costs to live there, but..."

She never gave me a chance to tell her whether I believed it or not because she never shut up the rest of the night. When the evening mercifully ended, New Business and I collapsed on the bed in his hotel room.

"They are the _definition_ of obnoxious," I said as I sat up and removed my heels.

"Don't wanna hear it," he said with a smirk. "I've been dealing with that jackass since the holiday party last Saturday. You only had to spend a few hours with him."

"You win," I said as he chuckled. "She was just so..."

"Enough about them," New Business said firmly as he stared at me with a devilish grin. "I've got plans for you tonight and they include you and the contents of my care package."

I cracked up laughing as he handed me the FedEx box.

"Put it all on, please," he said as I made my way into the bathroom. "And make sure you wear the glasses and bring me that lube."

I did as instructed and even went so far as to put my hair up in a bun and push the glasses down to the end of my nose like a stern librarian.

"Hot. As. Fuck," New Business growled when I emerged.

Without delay, I was tossed onto the bed and ravaged for a second straight night.

He fell asleep before I did, and in my post-coital haze, I chuckled as I had a thought. If he went crazy like this over a ten-dollar pair of reading glasses, then maybe I needed to see what other "props" I could find at the drugstore. And a few more bra-and-panty sets wouldn't hurt either.

* * *

With Sunday morning came the arrival of my period. Emmett actually laughed when he saw me with the box of Tampax.

"You timed this trip perfectly," he said as I rolled my eyes.

Will actually let him have Sunday to himself, so we went downstairs for breakfast, then lazed around back in the room for a while as we laughed and talked. He told me the latest with his family.

"Ma fucking loves Mary and Waylon," he said. "They're both retired, and Ma's been over their house twice already. She even had them over to the house for dinner Friday night."

"That's big," I said. "But they're not the only new friends. Charlie and Harry are BFFs too."

We laughed together before he continued.

"Oh, and get this," he said. "Emily already scheduled the first family counseling session. It's next fucking week. I thought it would take months to get an appointment. It's like her therapist was waiting for our asses."

I shrieked with laughter. "I'm sorry, but she probably has been," I said as I wiped my watery eyes. "With the amount of therapy your family needs, she can probably retire early, just off the McCartys."

As I spoke the complete truth, New Business could do nothing but laugh along with me.

"On top of that," he said when he settled down, "Brett wants to start looking at houses and shit with Emily. We didn't even know him last week. Liam says to mind my own business about it and let her do what she wants, so that's what I'll do. I'm out of it."

"What does your mom have to say about that?" I asked, not entirely surprised by these rapid developments.

"She's great with it," he said. "She's going with them to look at places. Mary too."

"I hope Brett and Emily get a say," I said as we laughed. "I need to call her and your mom back."

"They know how busy you are," he said. "Don't worry; they know you're here with me."

We moved on to talk of all that had happened in my life since we'd last seen each other Christmas night. He laughed so hard that _he_ was near tears when I told him the latest with ATS.

"_Ed Money_," he said derisively as we cracked up laughing. "You gotta be a desperate motherfucker to fuck Jessica's skanky ass."

That remark sent us howling even more. "All I can say about the sales team is, thank god for Heidi and Seth," I replied as he snickered.

The day wore on and, like they always did, things turned more somber when it was time for me to leave.

"I can't thank you enough for coming here," New Business said as we waited in the hotel lobby for the airport van.

"You're welcome," I said. "We both needed this little vacation from our lives."

"I'm not taking this job," Emmett said flatly. "I'm not moving from Seattle. I won't do it."

"Good," I said. "I would support whatever you do, but I feel like Seattle's my home now, even if I haven't been there very long. I'm not looking to move to another state again anytime soon."

"Thanks for giving me a real answer," he said. "I think you tell me what I wanna hear sometimes, so you don't stress me out. But I can handle it."

"I want us to do stuff together, and make time for normal things, like going to the movies," I said. "I don't want us to work all the time but right now, I don't know that we have much of a choice."

"What you want is important to me," he said. "Maybe I haven't exactly told you that, but I am now."

"Thank you," I replied. "You're right. Sometimes I think about how much you have to deal with for your family, and I don't want to add to that."

"Try not to think like that anymore," he said. "What you want, and what you need, is just as important to me."

I raised my hand to his face and lightly stroked his cheek. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to mine.

"I love you," he whispered. "You have no idea how much."

"I love you too," I replied. "We'll be fine."

"We will," he said with a big grin. "Like Austin said, 'We make it.'"

I was still laughing when the van arrived to take me to the airport. To take me back to Seattle. Back home.

* * *

**A/N: Whew! Another long one, LOL. I know I went a little heavy with the office details, but I truly wanted to show how much Bella's dealing with right now.**

**Also, I'd like to add that I know it's not customary to post long chapters like I've done several times now. However, I don't like to break up what I see in my head as one unit, which this is. **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14: Double Chapter

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

* * *

_**New Business Guy  
**_**Chapter 14: Double Chapter**

**BPOV**

Back at home Sunday night after my much-needed and stress-relieving weekend with New Business, I took a shower and a nap, called my parents and Emmett, ate dinner, and unpacked my overnight bag. Basically, I did every single thing I could possibly think of to keep from checking my work e-mails.

"Just get it over with," I muttered aloud, "it'll make the week go easier."

With a sigh, I logged in and checked my inbox.

Since we'd be closed on Tuesday for New Year's Day, this week would be short like last week so I thought it best to spend the rest of the night truly getting a handle on the most pressing issues.

After reviewing all of the e-mails from last week, the number one item on my list involved two aspects: defining what new positions I needed on the operations team, and compiling a list of all the new employees the other chiefs requested so that Jasper could begin the search process.

And that was why I fell asleep with thoughts of cubicles and organizational charts and interns on my mind.

* * *

At work Monday morning, I met with Carlisle and the other chiefs to discuss the e-mails I'd sent them last night about the staffing needs.

"This is like a grocery list," Rose said with a chuckle as she looked over my e-mail.

"It certainly is," Carlisle replied as he looked at his own. "I'm glad we're getting the whole eleventh floor. I don't know where we would have put 30 new people otherwise."

Unfortunately, Carlisle was not exaggerating. I'd carefully combed through all of the e-mails and notes from last week. Combined, the other chiefs and I were requesting a total of 30 new people for our teams: 22 full-time associates and 8 interns. Like Rose said, it truly read like a shopping list:

**Finance: 3 (2 associates, 1 intern)  
**1 accountant  
1 executive assistant (to the CFO: Jake)  
1 intern

**Sales: 7 (5 associates, 2 interns)**  
3 sales reps  
1 executive assistant (to the CSO: Edward)  
1 administrative assistant, sales team  
2 interns

**I.T.: 4 (2 associates, 2 interns)**  
2 client I.T. associates  
2 interns

**Operations: 16 (13 associates, 3 interns)**  
2 conference marketing associates  
1 graphic designer  
1 copywriter  
1 administrative assistant, conference marketing  
1 administrative assistant, website and promotions  
1 administrative assistant, operations team  
1 administrative assistant, ATS (*floating* support to all groups as needed)  
1 administrative assistant, HR  
1 HR associate  
2 operations associates (labor/maintenance/supply)  
1 receptionist (11th floor)  
3 interns (1 legal, 1 marketing, 1 HR)

"Well, I'm approving all 30 requests," Carlisle said. "If we're going to grow the way I want us to, and the way we need to, we need a strong team."

"I agree," Rose said. "We don't really have a choice. We have a solid foundation now, and we need to be aggressive about growth."

Edward, Jake, and I nodded in agreement and then we spent a little time talking about the teams with the biggest needs: operations and sales.

"I met with the sales team Friday," Edward said. "We're moving Whitney, Conner, and Claire to the new business team with Seth. That leaves Paul, Felix, and Ty as the only sales reps but they're solid enough to hold things together until we get some new reps in."

"Heidi's going to be very busy training everyone," Rose said as Edward chuckled.

I grinned with pride at Edward's comments: Whitney, Conner, and Claire had all been hired after my assessments and I was glad to hear that they were working out so well. The other sales team need was a team admin assistant: the current sales team admin wanted to be a sales rep and would need to be replaced after his promotion.

We talked a little more about the sales team changes until Carlisle turned the focus to my operations group.

"Bella, I like the way you've broken up marketing," Carlisle said as he stared at the list.

"Thanks," I said. "It made the most sense."

I split the marketing group into two units: Conference Marketing, which Peter would head up, then Website and Promotions which would be led by Jared.

"The two new conference marketing associates will be responsible for attending all the conferences that you want ATS to be present at," I said. "I made it clear in the job description that travel will be a big part of the job for them."

"Heidi and I have talked about rotating people from the sales team to go to the conferences," Edward said. "Someone from sales should be there at all times, and I won't be able to go to all of them."

"I like that," Carlisle said, "that'll mean we'll have a constant presence."

"Bella, why is there a floating admin job on here?" Jake asked as he too looked at the list. "I thought that was Logan? She helped us out in finance last month, and she was great. I was thinking of asking if she'd be my assistant."

"First of all, you're too late. She's already agreed to be my new operations manager," I said smugly as he chuckled, "so you can't have her."

"Will she be like Heidi on my team?" Edward asked.

"And Laurent on mine?" Rose asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I realized that I needed someone to manage all the day to day stuff. I just won't have time for it right now. Most of my time will be spent with the marketing group. She'll be the operations contact when I'm out for any reason."

"That's a great idea," Carlisle said. "What about these operations associates jobs? They're new as well."

"They'll be responsible for mail, furniture, inventory, maintenance, all that sort of thing," I said. "I decided that with so many new people, we should have one for each floor. Logan will supervise them."

"I don't know how we've never had someone for those things," Rose said, shaking her head.

"Alice and Jasper and a few others have handled a lot of that," I replied. "They've done a lot more than people realized."

"I think we need to get these positions filled as soon as we can," Carlisle said.

"I met with Jasper this morning," I said. "He says we have plenty of résumés already on file from the last round of hiring. He'd like to go through those instead of putting ads in the paper or with the online job sites because he gets swamped when we do that."

"I have no problem with that," Carlisle said. "However he wants to handle it is fine."

"I'll let him know," I said. "I take it you've all read the draft I sent with the job descriptions I made from all your e-mails?"

"I have," Jake said. "What you wrote for my team is great."

"Same for me," Edward said.

"Me too," said Rose.

"I didn't have any positions to post, but I thought your descriptions were wonderful," Carlisle said with a grin.

"Good," I replied. "I'll send the e-mail to the whole company with all the new postings when we're done here, since you have no changes. Jasper suggested that we also post them on our website."

"That's a good idea," Rose said. "Most big companies have a career and jobs area on their website. We should too."

"I agree," I replied. "I'll have Jared put them up on the site. If we don't get any interest, Jasper says he'll place ads but he doesn't think it'll be necessary. Of course, he'll have to advertise the internships because we've never done that before, but he'll get on that soon."

"I think we should actively ask the other associates if they know people who might want the jobs," Jake said. "Most of us have worked other places and we know strong people who might be lured away. You never know."

"You don't think it'll be a problem having so many people know each other, considering our recent, uh, issues?" Carlisle asked with a quick glance at the nervous-looking pair of Rose and Edward. Jake and I smiled at each other and grinned.

"No," I said. "The problem wasn't that you worked with people you knew. The problem was letting some of those people get away with doing a shitty job."

"Exactly," Jake said. "We'll stay on top of it. So long as you try to keep the people who know each other on different teams wherever possible, I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Agreed," I said. "And the bottom line is, people need to be earning their pay around here and anybody who isn't needs to get cut quickly. I'll be reviewing all the new people on my team after a month. We don't have time for dead weight anymore."

"Well said," Carlisle replied. "I think reviews after one month should be mandatory, from now on. That's plenty of time to tell whether a person will make it here or not."

"By the way," I added, "Jasper says he already has four people in mind he wants to interview for the executive assistant jobs. He'll be calling them today to try to set up interviews as soon as possible."

"That's great," Edward said. "And Bella, if you don't mind, if they can interview later this week when I'm gone, could you interview them for me? I trust your opinion. It might be best if I'm not involved until the end anyway."

"Will do," I replied as I chuckled along with the others. "I think I'll have Alice interview the candidates as well. She knows the job and what's required. Jake, you should probably be there too, unless you have someone in mind."

"That sounds fine," he said with a grin. "Since I can't have Logan."

"You can't, so get over it," I said as the others laughed.

"That's really all I have for now," Carlisle said. "I think we're on good footing."

When I stood to leave, Carlisle called out to me. I turned and walked over to stand by his desk.

"Bella, I wanted to tell you how pleased I am with the suggestions you've made for the operations team," he said. "You're adding the most new people but I think we'll need every one of them. I feel confident about that group with you leading them."

"Thanks, Carlisle," I said. "I just don't want us in a position where we're understaffed like we were when I started."

"That makes two of us," he said with a smile.

I turned to leave when a picture on his desk caught my eye, causing me to gasp.

"The baby," I whispered, placing my hand over my mouth.

Carlisle beamed with pride at the sonogram picture he'd framed. He held it up to me.

"We found out Friday," he said, unable to stop smiling. "It's a boy."

"Congratulations," I said as I stared at the tiny little baby Cullen in the image. "Have you told Caius?"

"I have," he said, still smiling. "He's beside himself, obviously."

"Oh the things he'll be teaching his grandson," I said as I shook my head while Carlisle laughed. "When's the baby due?"

"June 3," he said. "Seems like a long way away. We're so excited. It's an incredible experience. My son has given me a purpose."

I handed the picture back to him. "I'm really happy for you," I said.

"Thanks," he replied without looking up at me. I left his office with Carlisle staring at the picture. It seemed that he had more than one reason for wanting to make things right at ATS. He was attempting to create a legacy for himself and his child.

* * *

At my desk, I almost picked up the phone and called Caius right then, but I stopped myself. I missed him terribly, but I had some unease about what our relationship would be now.

At work, I had reason to interact with him, but now, with him gone, I couldn't help feeling like some sort of mistress. Yes, we were friends, but I wondered how his wife would feel about me calling and texting him. I know I wouldn't be really happy with a woman befriending Emmett and calling and texting him, no matter how much I trusted him. I really needed to think through my contact with Caius.

"Life: always something to worry about," I muttered.

Since the chiefs had no changes, I sent the two e-mails I'd prepared last night. The first outlined all 30 new positions with detailed descriptions for each one. The second outlined all the changes and promotions within my operations team specifically. Jake, Rose, and Edward each sent out e-mails explaining changes for their teams as well.

Carlisle also sent two e-mails to everyone. In the first, he tried to allay concerns about how we would pay for the expansion upstairs and all of the new positions. He provided a list of new clients we'd acquired in the last month and assured that we had leads for more.

In his second e-mail, Carlisle shared that he, Rose, and Edward would be out of the office on visits with the largest clients Wednesday through Friday. In their absence, Jake and I were to be contacts for any in-house emergencies. He also asked that everyone enjoy tomorrow's New Year holiday and return to work in 2013 both rested and motivated.

"I didn't know reading e-mails all day was one of my new job duties," Alice said when she came to my office for her review meeting.

"This is the new ATS," I said as I laughed. "We're all about being open and accountable these days."

"Maybe you and Jake are," she said with a grin, "the jury's still out on the others."

* * *

"I have one last thing to talk to you about," I said to Alice as we wrapped up our meeting. "It's not part of your job, so don't feel like you have to do it."

"I'm curious now," Alice said with a big grin.

"In the meeting this morning, Edward asked me if the operations team could take over planning those happy hours," I said. "I told him no because I don't like them."

"You of all people should like them," she said with a smirk. "That's where you and Emmett..."

"Be that as it may," I said loudly as she cackled. "Those happy hours just feel mandatory to me and I don't like that. Nobody should be pressured to hang out with the people they work with. If you want to, that's fine, but you shouldn't feel like you have to."

"I like them," Alice said. "But I guess I see your point."

"I told Edward and the others that we should have some sort of social committee," I said as her face lit up. "The social committee would plan voluntary..."

"I'll do it!" Alice shouted, practically vibrating in her seat. "I said to Jasper a long time ago that we should have something like this."

For easily the next five minutes, Alice rattled off all the things she envisioned for the ATS social committee.

"Okay. I take it you'll head up the committee," I said as she laughed. "The social committee would organize the happy hours, and Carlisle thinks they should plan the holiday party and maybe some sort of company picnic in the summer."

"I can't wait," Alice said, feverishly writing down notes.

"He says he'll provide money for the committee out of his own budget," I said. "So you'll need to meet with him about that."

She nodded and kept scribbling on her notepad.

"I also think the social committee should be in charge of getting cards and cake or flowers or gifts for birthdays," I said.

"And baby showers too," she said. "It'll be great. I can't wait."

"Don't let me twist your arm," I said sarcastically as she laughed again. "I guess I'll send an e-mail now and ask people to get in touch with you if they're interested in being on the committee."

"That would be great," she said. "I promise this won't get in the way of my work."

"I know it won't," I said. "Let me make a copy of your review now that we've signed it and then I think we're done."

I probably shouldn't have been so amused by Alice's reaction, but I was. I was grateful that she was so interested in fostering the social aspect of the company. Someone needed to.

Logan, my new operations manager, arrived next for her review meeting. She was almost as excited as Alice.

"I can't thank you enough for asking me to take this job," she said. "When you said last week that you wanted a team lead, I figured I was too young and I only have an associate's degree. Then, I read your review and I seriously almost cried. It means a lot that you trust me."

"I do," I said sincerely. "In the short time you've been here, you worked with all of the teams when you were needed. You learn quickly, you're adaptable, and you're not afraid to ask questions. That's exactly what I need and I'm happy to have you in this role."

She beamed at the praise and we talked more about the particulars of her job. I knew that for the next few months, my primary job would be working with the marketing team. In the future, I would consider getting a director for all of marketing like Peter had been before I shifted him to conference marketing, but I thought it would be in everyone's best interests for me to be the bridge between the chiefs and the marketing group for now. We _had _to start bringing in more clients from marketing and that had to be my initial focus.

HR and legal pretty much ran themselves, and that left my general admin group who handled most of our daily needs. As operations manager, Logan would be in charge of them, and as I explained in her review, her duties would be many:

- -supervising the to-be-hired operations associates and operations team admin, as well as the receptionists, the meeting services associate, and the floating admin.  
- -coordinating the team to process all mail and packages: setting up an interoffice mail system, per the chiefs' request, and preparing and delivering all shipping, mail, and packages.  
- -serving as the official ATS contact for all interns and processing all their paperwork.  
- -maintaining the furniture and equipment, scheduling regular maintenance and repairs.  
- -handling all vendors and approving invoices.  
- -asking for volunteers for refrigerator clean-up on both floors and keeping a schedule of it.

"However you want to break up those duties between the operations associates and the team admin and yourself is up to you," I said. "But this will be your unit and you'll be responsible for them."

"I understand," she said.

"I've set aside money in the budget for you to get whatever you think you'll need," I said. "More mail carts, bins, mailboxes, whatever. "

She nodded and kept scribbling. When she finally looked up, her eyes were bright and lively.

"This is all so exciting," she said as I laughed. "Knowing that I'm helping whip this place into shape."

"I like your attitude," I said. "I'll see how you feel this time next month."

We laughed, then finished up the review.

"One more thing," I said as she stood to leave. "You and I will be meeting a lot. At least once, maybe even twice, a day. If there's any problems, don't hesitate to tell me. I can only help fix what I know about."

"Understood, boss," she said with a big grin before she turned and left the office.

Bree from human resources was next. Like Logan, she'd also been promoted: from HR admin assistant to HR associate.

"When I took the job as the admin," she said, "I hoped I'd learn enough where I could have a bigger role one day. This is what my degree is in, and I can't tell you how happy I am. I really appreciate your faith in me."

"I know you'll do well," I said as I signed her review and she went back to her desk.

I'd followed all of Jasper's recommendations for HR. Bree would primarily focus on new employee orientation as well as health care benefits meetings and workshops. The new HR associate would process payroll and leave. Jasper would supervise the group and arrange all mandatory training, like the very-much-needed sexual harassment training, among other things.

When Bree left, I had a little time before my next review meeting which was with Chelsea. I went to the break room, smiling when I saw Demetri from I.T.: he had a bottle of Mountain Dew in his hand.

It made me think of New Business, who'd be leaving Sacramento today to return home. Demetri and I chatted for a bit before I returned to my desk with my snack and drink.

I'd just sat back down at my desk when Riley, the head of the customer service team from I.T., knocked on my door.

"I know you're busy," he said as he sat down. "But I wanted to say this face to face."

"My face is listening," I said as he laughed.

"Everybody's reading about all the new jobs," he said nervously, "and I wanted to sort of put a bid in for somebody."

"For which job?" I asked.

"Operations associate," he said. "I think my little brother would be perfect for that. You said in the e-mail that it only needs a high school diploma and he's got that. He graduated high school last year and he's been working for my dad since then."

"What does your dad do?" I asked.

"He has his own painting business," he replied. "My brother's a good kid. But he didn't want to go to college like I did, or join the service, like our sister. He's young and he's figuring out what to do with himself."

"But doesn't your dad need him?" I asked.

"My dad needs to _hire _someone," he said tiredly. "He made my brother do this when he finished school, and he's not paying him like he would a real employee. They're at each other's throats and my mom can't take much more. I called her when I read about the operations job, and she told me to come down here and beg you."

While I processed all of this, Chelsea walked up outside of my door, I held up a finger to tell her I'd be right with her.

"I can't promise I'll hire your brother," I said to Riley. "But I'll definitely interview him. Send Jasper his résumé and copy me, and he'll set up a meeting."

"Thanks, Bella," Riley said with a beaming smile. "He's only ever worked for my dad, but we'll get something together for a résumé and I'll send it to you."

I met with Chelsea, who reiterated her desire to remain in her position as receptionist with one condition.

"I'll still be on this floor, won't I?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied. "The new receptionist will be upstairs."

"Good," she replied with relief. "Let that person deal with all those snobs on the I.T. team."

I chuckled as I signed her review and made her a copy of it. Gianna was my last review meeting for the day and I called her to see if she could come down a little early.

"Morning, boss," she said as she sat down and I laughed.

"Good morning," I replied. "I wanted to let you know that I won't be your direct 'boss' anymore."

I explained to her that she would report to Logan now and she actually seemed relieved.

"I know you'll still be over the both of us," she said. "But I have to admit, I like this arrangement a little better. We're not just friends, we're family now and I don't want things to get too awkward between us. Now, I can get mad at Logan instead of you."

We both cracked up laughing.

"I think it's for the best too," I said. "She'll be great."

"She will," Gianna said with a smile.

"I have to ask you one last time," I said. "Are you _sure_ you don't want to apply for another job? You could do any of those admin assistant positions, and they pay more."

"I'm glad that you think so highly of me," she said. "But this job pays more than what I made at Eclipse. Liam's pays less than what he used to make, so it kind of balances out. I like my job. It's perfect for me. I've been worried that it might be phased out but..."

"Um, no," I said with a laugh. "If anything, you'll have more to do. There's meeting space up on the eleventh floor and you'll be responsible for that too. I thought about adding another meeting services position, but I felt like the floating admin person could help if you get too swamped some days."

"I think that'll work well," she said. "This job is pretty low stress and that's what I need. Liam and I really talked the other day, and we both know we've got some rough years ahead with Kim. She's getting to be a real handful and we don't need more stress."

"My sweet little Kimmie?" I remarked.

"Sweet little Kimmie, my ass," she said as I guffawed.

"I'm not bragging here," she continued, "but my daughter's gorgeous."

"She really is pretty," I said.

"The problem is she knows it," Gianna said. "And boys are starting to notice too. It's worse now that she started her period."

"Already?" I asked as I placed my hand over my mouth.

"She's twelve," Gianna said. "That's how old I was."

"I was actually eleven, now that you mention it," I said as we laughed.

"I'm not trying to turn you against her or anything," Gianna said. "Because 'sweet little Kimmie' is still in there, _somewhere_."

I cracked up laughing at that comment as she continued.

"I'm just pointing out that I don't need more stress. It's enough trying to keep track of her and her friends and everything she's up to. And now Liam's freaking out about the family counseling. There's enough going on at home. I don't need stress here."

"I see what you mean," I said in understanding.

I signed her review and gave her a copy while we chatted a little more. When I thought we were done, she had other plans.

"Uh, Bella, do you have a few more minutes?" she asked.

"Sure. We finished early," I replied.

"Could I use your phone?" she asked. I nodded and she picked up the work phone on my desk. I soon realized that she'd called Lizzie, the I.T. team admin.

"She's here now," Gianna said to her. "Just ask. It can't hurt. Come on."

"What's wrong?" I asked when she hung up.

"Lizzie wants to ask you something, but she's nervous," Gianna said.

"I don't bite," I said with a smirk.

"That's what I told her," she said.

"Is your riding arrangement with her still working?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "She's been a lifesaver."

We both turned to watch Lizzie who was already walking through the lobby toward my office. I waved her in when she reached the door.

"Hi," she said, looking absolutely terrified. I _had _to tease her.

"Whatever you want, the answer is no, absolutely not," I said sternly as Gianna fell out laughing.

"Ha ha," Lizzie said, smiling, as she sat down.

"You know I'm just kidding," I said. "What's going on?"

"Well, it's about the job postings you sent around this morning," she said as she quickly glanced at Gianna.

"You know someone for one of the jobs?" I asked.

"Well, I think my oldest son would be great for one of the operations associates," she said quietly. "But he's only eighteen."

"Is he done with high school?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "He graduated last May, and he'll be nineteen soon."

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't even believe you had a son Kim's age, let alone one who's eighteen," I said incredulously. Lizzie looked younger than I did.

"I was a teen mom," she said. "I was a different person back then. I was a little wild."

"I shouldn't have said anything," I said quickly. "I'm really sorry, you just look so young."

"It's fine," she said with a grin. "I get a kick out of people's reactions. He does too. My kids changed my life. I'm grateful to have them."

"That's because she has all boys," Gianna said with a smirk. "She doesn't have to deal with anybody trying to sneak her makeup, or stuff their bra, or take her thongs out of the dryer to wear under their jeans to school."

My mouth fell open as they shrieked with laughter.

"Emmett cannot possibly know this," I said as I shook my head.

"He doesn't," she said as Lizzie clutched her stomach and continued to laugh. "Liam doesn't either."

"Let's keep it that way," I said with a chuckle.

When we settled down, I got back on topic.

"If your son's done with high school, he can apply," I said to Lizzie. "Is he working now?"

"Yes, he works at a gas station," she said. "I didn't mind at first, but they've started making him work nights and I hate it. I'm terrified he's going to get robbed or shot or something. This would be so perfect. I know he's young but he's a good kid. He'll work hard."

"Send in a résumé to Jasper as soon as you can," I said, reiterating what I'd said to Riley. "I can't promise I'll hire him, but I'll definitely interview him."

"Thanks," she said excitedly as she stood and hurriedly left the office.

"Do you think he has a chance, really?" Gianna asked.

"We just posted those jobs, but so far, only one other person has said they're interested in that one," I said. "It'll really depend on when I meet with them. But I know Lizzie's been really reliable and if he's anything like her, he'd be a great asset."

Gianna left soon thereafter and I took the time to check my schedule. I'd asked Alice to block out two hours for today's lunch with Rose as I had no idea how long I'd need for that.

The review meetings had moved fairly quickly and I wondered why Alice hadn't scheduled them all for today, but then I saw my afternoon: Carlisle had requested time for an exec team meeting about the expansion upstairs and seating arrangements, then Jasper had requested several hours to talk about the new jobs. Alice had scheduled it all, like the pro that she was.

Next, I checked the never-ending e-mails in my inbox. Apparently, Jake had been on to something when he suggested that we ask the other associates if they knew people who might be interested in the open jobs. I had e-mails from Jasper, Laurent and Victoria from I.T., and Heidi and Felix from sales, all suggesting people for the various positions on my team. Some sounded very promising.

I wrote everyone back and asked them to forward the résumés to Jasper. In his case, I told him to set up an interview. If Jasper recommended someone, that person was as good as hired as far as I was concerned.

After I sent the last e-mail, I went to the restroom then returned to my desk to prepare for the next big adventure of my day: lunch with Rose.

* * *

If I'd been expecting Rose to suddenly turn talkative just because she'd asked me to lunch, I would've been sadly mistaken. She'd driven us here - - a trendy restaurant in one of the downtown luxury hotels - - in relative silence. She was clearly well known here because the staff practically tripped over themselves as they quickly ushered us to a table with a beautiful view.

She'd only spoken a few words to me the entire time, but I'd made a vow: I was _not _going to stress myself out trying to make conversation with her. She'd invited me, so she needed to say whatever was on her mind. She cleared her throat as I placed my order with the waiter.

"Thank you for coming to lunch with me," Rose said when he left. "I wasn't sure that you would. I almost didn't ask."

"Why did you? I was surprised by the invitation," I said.

She took a sip of water then looked at me. "This company is the most important thing in my life," she said. "That may sound odd to you, but it's the truth. Now that you're on the exec board, I feel like I need to get to know you better. I'll be having lunch with Jake soon too."

"We all should make the effort," I said. "We need to be on the same page at all times, for the sake of the company."

"Yes," she said before lowering her voice to add, "for the company."

The actual freaking chef came out next to greet Rose. He brought some dish for us to sample that we hadn't ordered. I didn't know if the special treatment was because she was a Cullen, a Hale, a very regular customer, a strikingly beautiful woman, or all of the above.

She introduced him to me and I hesitantly munched on the food he'd brought while they talked. The bread and spread had an interesting taste and texture combination that I tried to figure out as I ate. When I looked up, the chef had left the table and Rose watched me with a curious expression.

"Why are you here?" she asked bluntly. "Why didn't you tell me to fuck off when I asked you to lunch? Why don't you hate me? If the situation was reversed, I wouldn't even be speaking to you."

I finished chewing, took a sip of water, then spoke. "There's really no polite way to say it," I replied.

"Don't be nice," she said. "Be a bitch. Tell me the truth."

"I don't care enough about you to hate you," I said honestly. "You're not an important person in my life. That's the truth."

If I thought she'd be upset by my words, she wasn't, so I continued.

"I like this job. I like the people I work with," I said. "Despite the way you've treated me the whole time I've been at ATS, up until recently, I like the company. I have to work with you. You've apologized. I've accepted. So I'm here. It's as simple as that."

She nodded curtly and took another sip of water. Then she flashed those ice blue eyes at me again.

"I wanted you to be a total fuck-up," she said. "We all thought you were my uncle's latest whore. We couldn't believe he put one on the payroll. He'd never done _that _before."

"So why didn't you just fire me?" I asked. "There were four of you and one of him. And it was your company."

"He reminded us of the very obvious fact that ATS was completely falling apart," she said. "He said we should at least let you do the assessments and see what you could come up with. He said if you didn't have anything valuable to offer after those, he'd let you go himself."

"That sounds like him," I said.

"Then you interviewed everyone, and you got more information than we ever did," she said. "You actually had good ideas and suggestions. My uncle was so fucking smug that he was right about you. It was ridiculous."

"Caius smug?" I asked with a smirk. "No. I don't believe it."

Rose grinned, then sighed.

"I miss him," she said. "I used to talk to him all the time."

"I miss him too," I said. "ATS isn't the same without him."

"Have you talked to him?" she asked.

"Not since the day after the holiday party," I replied.

"He'll be happy to hear from you when you do talk to him," she said, looking down at her plate. "He hates me now."

"I don't think he does," I said. "He's just disappointed in you. You really hurt him."

"I'm disappointed in myself to be honest," she said as she shook her head. "I pride myself on my control. But you came along and I lost it all. You wormed your way into _my _company, you cozied up to _my _uncle, and you fell right in with... Emmett."

"I'm sorry for existing," I said as I chuckled to myself. She didn't appear to have heard me.

"Edward kept telling me I was becoming too emotional about you," she said. "That wasn't like me at all, but I couldn't let it go."

Our lunch came then and she stopped talking and began toying with her food.

"You seem close to Edward," I said before I took a bite of my sandwich.

"He's my best friend," she said with a warm smile. "We're almost like twins. He's only three months older than me."

"Well maybe in the future you should listen to your twin a little more," I said with a smirk.

Finally, she chuckled a little. We ate our lunch in a more companionable silence than earlier. I looked out at the view of downtown, with people and cars bustling about. Several times when I turned toward her, I found Rose watching me. Each time, she quickly looked away. When I finished my lunch, she spoke.

"I'm glad you took the chief of operations job," she said quietly. "Esme was never cut out for it but it wasn't her fault. We liked having her around. She understands our families and she's a good listener. She just wasn't too good with the staff."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I drank the rest of my soda. I wasn't even getting into the Esme situation again.

"Whatever I think of you personally," Rose said, "you're great with the staff and you'll be great as a chief. Right or wrong, you're not afraid to make a decision and we need that."

"Thanks," I replied though she apparently wasn't done.

"It's hard, extremely hard, being a woman in business," she said passionately. "Especially when you look like I do. You wouldn't believe some of the things that have been said to me at some of our meetings with clients and at some of the conferences."

"I can only imagine," I said somberly.

"Edward's turned away a few clients who said some really disgusting things about me," she said. "I'm... pleased... to have someone like you on the exec team. I've watched you a lot..."

"Obviously," I said as she let out a real genuine laugh that warmed her whole face.

"I've watched you," she said with a smile, "and I must admit, I like the way you work. You're not timid or afraid, and you speak your mind. I like that we have two strong women at ATS. I think we'll do well together."

"I do too, Rose," I said.

"I'm not saying I expect us to be best friends," she said cautiously, "but I think we make a good team."

"Don't worry," I said with a straight face. "I know Ed Money is your BFF. I won't come between you."

Again, she laughed heartily. The waiter brought the check, which Rose paid, then we made our way down to her shiny red sports car. I'd just fastened my seatbelt when New Business called.

Now, I _could_ have turned my phone off for the duration of lunch. However, I knew he was due back in the early afternoon, and a part of me hoped that he'd call while I was out with Rose. Maybe that was petty, but oh well. I could forgive what she'd done to me, but I didn't have to be a saint.

I quickly answered his call.

"Are you back?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied tiredly. "I met with my boss and he gave me the rest of the day off."

"That was nice," I said, trying not to laugh at Rose who was clearly stalling from pulling off as she tried to listen in.

"Um, listen, don't get mad," he said, "but I kinda made plans for tonight."

"Do they involve me?" I asked as he laughed.

"Hopefully," he said. "But only if you don't mind spending your New Year's Eve with the kids."

"I don't mind at all," I said with relief. "Provided we don't go out anywhere. You know I don't really do well in crowds."

"No, no," he said quickly. "We'll be at home. I volunteered to watch them tonight and tomorrow. I haven't spent much time with them lately and I'll be leaving Thursday. I won't be back until the 27th."

"At all?" I asked, alarmed.

"At all," he said with a sigh. "They got me scheduled for so much shit between now and then I'll barely have time to breath."

"I knew it would be bad, but I thought you'd get some breaks in between," I said as I wrapped my mind around nearly 27 days without New Business.

"I did too," he said disgustedly. "Look, we'll talk tonight but thanks for understanding about the kids."

"You're bringing them over, right?" I asked.

"You don't mind them spending the night at the apartment?" he asked. "I was gonna keep them here at Ma's."

"No, it'll be more fun with us," I said. "There's plenty of room."

"Cool," he said. "They'll love that. I'll stop and get some stuff for them to eat."

"Can you pick up a few things for me?" I asked much too eagerly. I'd planned to go grocery shopping yesterday but I was too tired when I got back from Sacramento.

"Yes, I can do that," he replied with a chuckle.

"Get two dozen eggs and..."

"What do you need all those for?" he asked.

"They might wanna bake some cupcakes tonight or have eggs for breakfast," I said. "And someone on this phone call has been known to eat four scrambled eggs at a time so..."

"Okay, whatever," he said as we laughed.

"And get more milk for us at the house, and soda if you want it, and whatever they drink," I said. "And bread and bananas. That's it."

"Done," he replied. "We'll see you when you get home. Just remember, you agreed to this."

"It'll be fine," I said as he laughed again. "I love you."

"Love you too," he replied as we ended the call.

With a smile, I put my phone away. I truly forgot I was with Rose as I thought about the fact that Emmett and I had been so wrapped up in each other this weekend we forgot to even talk about what we might do to celebrate New Year's Eve tonight. I was glad we hadn't planned anything: I was looking forward to spending time with Kim, Henry, and Austin.

"Big plans for New Year's?" Rose asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

"Little plans actually," I said with a chuckle. "They include a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 3-year-old."

"And Emmett," she said with a smirk.

"Yes, and Emmett," I said. "Are you going out?"

"Edward always has a small party at his place to save us from going to the giant one his brother always throws, so I'll be there," she said.

"Will you take the guy you were with at the holiday party?" I asked.

"God no," she said with a shudder. "My mother set that up. She means well, but no."

"You'll meet someone when you least expect it," I told her. "People used to always say that to me and I didn't believe it. But that's exactly what happened."

"But in my case, they have to pass the Cullen-Hale board of inspection," she said with a dark chuckle.

"I really don't know what to say to that," I replied as she laughed.

We'd returned to the parking garage and made our way upstairs.

"That was good," Rose said to me when we reached the lobby. I knew she wasn't just referring to the food. "Let's do that again soon."

"Have your people call my people," I said.

She laughed again and turned to walk to her office. I made it two steps toward mine when Gianna found me.

"Guess who's going out tonight thanks to you and Emmett?" she asked giddily.

"You really shouldn't be this happy to pawn off your child," I said with a laugh.

"I can't wait until my little angel knocks those blinders off your eyes," she said.

By the time we reached my office door, I could barely stop laughing long enough to unlock it.

"I'll just leave you with this," Gianna said. "When all else fails, hide her cell phone. She'll be so busy trying to find it, she won't have time to give you much attitude."

With that, she gave a final wave and left my office. Still laughing, I prepared myself for the afternoon ahead. I hoped Gianna was exaggerating because if she wasn't, New Business and I were in for a long night ahead.

* * *

I walked into the apartment and found party central. A "Happy New Year" banner had been hung on the dining room wall and streamers and balloons had been placed strategically around the room. Emmett stood in the kitchen grinning at me as Kim, Henry, and Austin raced over to hug me.

"You guys have been busy," I said as I returned all the hugs.

"We're having our own New Year's party," Kim said with bright eyes.

"Uncle Em said we could stay up all night and do the countdown at midnight," Henry said, daring me to protest this special permission.

"You come too," Austin said as he reached up and held onto my hand.

"Thanks for inviting me," I said as they all giggled and laughed.

"Hey, Uncle Em," I said when I made it to the kitchen.

"'Sup, Auntie Bella," he replied with a big grin.

We couldn't seem to take our eyes off of each other even as the kids talked all over themselves to get my attention. Thankfully, New Business snapped out of it.

"Okay, the pizza's done," he said to the kids. Kim and Henry ran down the hall to wash their hands, while Austin raised his up to me.

"It smells great," I said.

"There's plenty," Emmett replied as he pulled the second of two frozen pizzas out of the oven. One was already cooling on top.

I picked Austin up and set him on the counter so I could wash his hands. Then I put him in his booster seat which Emmett had already attached to one of the dining room chairs. While Emmett cut the pizzas and Kim and Henry returned and got drinks, I went to the bedroom to change my clothes.

I'd just stepped out of my pants when the door opened and shut, and New Business swiftly picked me up and laid me on the bed.

"I could barely sleep without you last night," he said as he climbed on top of me.

"I had a rough night without you too," I said.

We tried not to groan too loudly as our lips connected and we tried to breathe each other in.

"How are we gonna make it?" I asked when he rested his head on my chest.

"I don't know," he said as he lifted his head and looked at me. "But I'm about this close to quitting this fucking job. I'm tired of this shit already."

"You're not serious," I said as I ran my fingers through his wavy hair. "I know you're not. Just think of this as endurance training, or something like that."

He rolled over and fell out laughing as I stood up. "I guess that's one way to look at it," he said.

"How did asshole take it when you turned down the regional VP job?" I asked.

He was momentarily distracted by me getting undressed, but when I put on one of his giant t-shirts and a pair of leggings, he seemed to recover.

"He couldn't understand why I wouldn't take it," Emmett said. "He really thought he could convince me. But he said he'd be keeping his eye on me because I reminded him of himself."

"In what universe?" I asked. "You're hot, you're a decent person, you're not obnoxious, and people like you. I'm not seeing the similarities."

"Mmm, I love flattery," he said, grabbing me and hugging me to him.

"Enough," I said as I pushed him away. "You're supposed to be spending time with the kids, not me. Let's go."

He grinned down at me and wriggled his eyebrows. "You go," he said. "Now that you and your tits decided to tease me, I'm gonna need a few minutes."

I snorted and laughed as he headed into the bathroom. The kids were so eager to talk that they didn't notice their uncle's extended absence.

"Aunt Bella, will you let me braid your hair?" asked Kim. "I can do French braids. Your hair would look great like that. I'm gonna be a hairdresser."

"It'll be nice to have a personal hairdresser," I said as the kids laughed. "Sure you can do it."

"Can we make cupcakes later?" Henry asked. "Chocolate cake and icing?"

"I like chocat," said Austin.

"Yes, we can do that," I said as I snagged a piece of pizza.

As we ate, they asked me when my parents had gone home and told me how much they'd like them. Finally, New Business returned with a satisfied look on his face. I could only chuckle; I was actually a little flattered that I had such an _effect_ on him.

"What have you all been up to since Christmas?" I asked.

"I've been at Grandma's mostly," Kim said. "I'm ready to go back to school and see all my friends."

"We've been over Mister Brett's house sometimes," Henry said.

"Wif Mommy," Austin added.

"How do you like Brett?" I asked.

"Yeah, how do you like him?" Emmett asked as he plated several slices of pizza.

Again, the kids talked all over themselves.

"I was nervous at first," Kim said, "but I think he's nice now. Aunt Emily really likes him."

"He's okay," Henry said. "He makes mom laugh a lot, so I like that."

"Bett buy me toy," Austin said. "I like Bett."

I looked at Emmett and we both chuckled.

"Uncle Em, did you know my mom told us and Grammy that we might get a house with Mister Brett?" Henry asked.

He tried to appear nonchalant but he was clearly interested in his uncle's take on the situation. Kim stopped eating so she could listen in eagerly as well.

"I heard," Emmett said. "I think your mom knows him a lot better than I do, so I trust her to do what she thinks is right. I know she won't put you boys in a bad place again. What do you think?"

Henry must have been expecting Emmett to put up a fight. He looked visibly relieved by Emmett's calm reaction.

"I think it'll be okay," Henry said as he stared at his uncle with wide eyes.

"And if you move away from your Grammy's, you know we'll still come and see you," I said. "And you get to know Miss Mary and Mr. Waylon too. I liked them."

"Miss Mary gimme book," said Austin happily.

"I'll be away a lot more with my new job," Emmett said as he looked around the table at his niece and nephews. "But you can always call me if you need me."

"I wish you didn't have to leave," Henry said. He crossed his arms on the table and laid his head on it, looking at Emmett sideways.

"You should get a job where you don't have to leave so much," Kim said. "Grandma worries when you leave. We all do."

"Stay wif us," Austin said before turning his attention back to his pizza.

I could almost see Emmett's heart breaking at their words. Truthfully, I felt like they did, but I understood him wanting to honor his commitment.

"I know it's hard when I'm gone," Emmett said. "I have to stay at this job at least through the summer, but after that I'm definitely finding something where I don't have to travel so much."

"So in September, you won't be leaving anymore?" Henry asked. "That's after the summer."

"That's my plan," New Business said. "I don't like leaving you guys or Aunt Bella. Now that she's in the family, I want you three to check on her when I'm gone and call her and make sure she doesn't get lonely."

"We will," Henry said as he grinned at me.

"We call her," said Austin.

Kim ran and got her cell phone which she gave to me so I could call my phone from hers.

"We can hang out and stuff," she said excitedly when I gave her the phone back. "I can't wait."

"I'll definitely come over and see you guys when Uncle Em's gone," I said. "And if you need to talk or you're worried about something, you can call me too."

"I'm glad you came in the family," Henry said as he stood and hugged me.

"I'm glad I'm here," I said as I kissed his cheek.

"Can we make the cupcakes now?" he asked.

"And then I'll do your hair," Kim said.

"I want cutcake," Austin said with a mouthful of pizza.

"When we finish our pizza, yes, we can make cupcakes," I said firmly.

The rest of the evening passed fairly quickly. I kept my eye on Kim, but she didn't exhibit any surly pre-teen behavior... at least she hadn't so far. We all took part in baking the cupcakes, even New Business, who helped Austin messily crack open eggs. Kim braided my hair while the cupcakes cooled and she really did a great job. She braided it sort of around my head with a few tendrils hanging out.

"It's so pretty," she sang as she snapped a picture of it on her cell phone. New Business took one as well. He'd been snapping shots of all of us all night, presumably to load onto the picture frame.

We iced the cupcakes and everybody crashed after the sugar rush. Kim went to the guest room and talked on her cell phone, Emmett and Henry played a video game together, and I read to Austin. At about 11:30, we turned on the television to watch some of the New Year's coverage so we could count down when it was time. Kim returned and we all settled around the sectional until it was almost time to count down from 10.

I hurriedly passed out the noisemakers they'd brought with them and put out the bowl of confetti they'd bought as well. I already knew it would be a pain to clean up, but it was fun and the kids were excited.

They were absolutely giddy as we started counting down.

"...five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!" we shouted.

While the kids blew the noisemakers and threw around the confetti, Emmett pulled me to him and gazed into my eyes.

"Happy New Year, Madam Bad-Ass," he whispered.

"Happy New Year, New Business," I replied.

For the first time ever, I began a new year in the arms of a man that I loved. And I absolutely had to seal that fact with a kiss. Not even the giggles, squeals, and taunts of the children could break us apart.

* * *

Shockingly to me, I was the first person to wake up on New Year's day. Austin fell asleep minutes after midnight. We put him to bed and left Kim and Henry in the living room, watching the New Year's shows and concerts on TV. They seemed determined to stay up as long as possible and Emmett and I retired to bed at about 1:15. We fell asleep easily after my long day at work, his long day of traveling then returning home, and our busy evening with the kids.

New Business didn't move a muscle as I showered and dressed, nor did Kim or Henry when I entered the kitchen. They were sprawled out on the sectional, sleeping soundly.

It was just after nine, and I knew they'd all be up soon, so I decided to make breakfast since I was hungry anyway. I debated about what to make, but in the end I figured French toast was a safe bet. I'd never met anyone who didn't like it, not that I knew all that many people.

I tried not to make too much noise as I worked; soon, the shrill sound of my cell phone rang out into the silence.

"Happy New Year, kid," said Charlie when I answered.

"Happy New Year," I whispered.

"You got a cold?" he asked.

"No," I replied quietly. "I have a house full of sleeping McCartys."

"Oh," he said as he laughed.

"I rang in the new year with Emmett and the kids," I said.

"Did you now?" he asked. "Getting used to the idea of having a house full of little ones, huh?"

"Did you want something, old man?" I asked.

"Guess I touched a nerve," he said with a chuckle. "Just wanted to say Happy New Year. I think this'll be a good one, for both of us."

"I think so too," I said.

For some reason, Charlie was much more talkative than usual and we chatted for quite a few more minutes.

"Oh, I meant to tell ya," he said. "Me and Sue ran into Beth Weber yesterday. She was going on and on about all her plans for the wedding. It was all we could do to keep from laughing right in her face. If she knew how much money Ben's family has..."

I chuckled along with him. "I think it's best they're trying to keep it from her. I don't know how long they'll be able to keep it up though."

"Well, I'm loving this," he said. "Nice to have something over on her for once."

"True," I said. "Are you at work?"

"I am," he said, "so I'd better go. Enjoy your day off."

"I will," I said. "It's the last one I'll have for a while."

I heard rustling down the hall before I ended our call. I placed my phone on the counter and got to work on the French toast and decided to cook some bacon as well. My stomach growled as I cooked.

As I put some plates and utensils on the dining room table, I finally got some company.

"That smells so good," Emmett said as he walked in carrying Austin who was rubbing his eyes.

"Morning, fellas," I said as they smiled. "Do you like French toast, Austin?"

He nodded enthusiastically, looking entirely too cute in an undershirt and Spiderman briefs. Emmett poured some milk into Austin's cup and put him in his booster seat at the table while I put out the first plate of bacon and stack of French toast.

We were too busy eating to talk very much but there was something I just had to say.

"You know, you're very good at this having kids thing," I said to New Business.

"Lots of practice with these three guinea pigs," he replied.

"I not dinny pig," said Austin with syrup on his cheeks and a mouth full of food.

"No, you're a messy pig," Emmett replied.

"You a uncle pig," replied Austin, giggling, as he stuffed more French toast into his mouth.

The three of us finished up the first batch of French toast and Emmett took Austin to clean him up and get him completely dressed. Henry and Kim finally woke up as I cooked a second batch.

"I love French toast," Henry said as he stood, yawning, and watched me.

"Happy New Year, Aunt Bella," Kim said. "It's gonna be a great year. I can feel it."

She turned quickly and skipped down the hall before I could reply.

"Are you gonna stand here all day or are you gonna get dressed?" Emmett asked Henry.

"Stand here all day," Henry replied with a big grin.

"Henry, hurry up so we go," Austin said to his big brother.

"Yes, Grammy," Henry said as both boys and their uncle laughed.

"They're so cute," I said as Henry walked down the hall and Austin ran to the living room to play with one of his books.

"I guess it's good that they haven't driven you crazy yet," Emmett replied.

I plated the last batch of French toast which Henry, Kim, and Emmett polished off while I cleaned up.

"We're getting movies, right?" Henry asked. "You said we would."

"Yeah, we'll go to the store when we're done," Emmett replied. "And Kim your mom called while you were sleep. She said don't spend all your money."

Kim sighed dramatically, then rolled her eyes. I chuckled;_ this _was more like the behavior Gianna warned me about. I suspected that, like many kids, Kim's worst behavior was reserved for her parents. Austin wandered over to the table to talk with the others while they finished eating.

It was all very homey and nice, but I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have busy jobs like ours, while raising three kids. I just didn't see how it would be possible without major help.

We finally got everyone fed and dressed, and then we went to Target. Emmett let each of the kids pick a movie: Kim wanted 'Pitch Perfect', Henry got 'The Dark Knight Rises', and Austin pointed to 'Ice Age: Continental Drift'.

I had my eye on a movie as well; unfortunately for me, New Business noticed.

"Horny ass," he whispered to me when he saw me eyeballing the 'Magic Mike' DVD. Angie and I had gone to see it when I first moved here and _quite_ enjoyed it.

"Just shut up and mind your own business," I said as I tossed it into my cart.

I quickly saw why Gianna had told Kim not to spend all her money. Whatever money she had was clearly burning a hole in her pocket; she wanted to buy something in almost every department we passed.

"You just got a ton of stuff for Christmas," Emmett said to her. "I'm getting you this movie, and you can pick one other thing and that's it. And it can't be makeup because I don't wanna hear it from your dad."

His tone left no room for argument, so she didn't put up much fuss. But she wouldn't be true to her pre-teen nature if she didn't complain a little.

"I don't know what's the point of having my own money if I can't buy what I want," she said loudly as she put some tubes of lip gloss back on a shelf.

I almost said something, but I really had nothing to add. I completely agreed with New Business, so I just decided to keep quiet as I pushed along my cart. I was having more fun watching the McCartys anyway.

Emmett picked up a few toiletries and I picked up a few things for the house. I thought we were almost done until we got to the toy section.

"I mean it," Emmett yelled as Kim and Henry took off down separate aisles. "One thing each."

"I want more book," Austin said, which made the book-loving part of me very happy.

I went with him and we looked over the selection of books. He chose one with Thomas the train that played engine and whistle sounds.

"You look very proud of yourself," New Business said when he found us.

"I am," I said. "I feel like I introduced him to something special."

"You did," he replied. "_You_."

"Normally, that flattery would get your everywhere," I said as he chuckled. "But I'm still on my period, so too bad for you."

He guffawed while I learned my first lesson in watching what I said around little ears.

"Why on you period?" Austin asked as Emmett and I snorted with laughter.

"Do you know what a period is?" I asked when I settled down.

"No," he replied as he giggled.

"Well, let's not worry about it then, okay?" I said as Emmett continued to laugh.

"'kay," Austin said before he went back to pressing sounds on his book.

Still chuckling, we rounded up Henry and Kim who'd made their way down to the video game section.

"No, absolutely not," Emmett said when they begged him to buy some $60 dollar game. "You both just got new games for Christmas. Put your toys in the cart and let's go."

The whole ride home, Kim and Henry argued over which movie to watch first when we got back, then about what we should eat for lunch. Austin added to the noise by repeatedly pressing each and every sound on his book.

"They're just the cutest, aren't they?" New Business asked with a smirk when we got back home and the still-arguing kids ran up to the apartment door.

"I don't know if I have it in me," I said tiredly. "I may not be cut out for parenthood."

"Well, our kids will be perfect so it won't be like this at all," he said with a perfectly straight face that caused us to howl with laughter as we unlocked the door and got the kids inside.

* * *

"Thanks. I had so much fun," Kim said, removing the cell phone from her ear long enough to hug me goodbye, before turning to hug New Business. "Bye, Uncle Em. Have a safe trip."

"Be good," he said before he let her go.

She instantly put the phone back to her ear and tore upstairs in a flash, completely ignoring her parents.

Gianna and Liam seemed quite used to this behavior and merely chuckled as they watched their daughter go up the stairs. We followed them in and settled into seats around the living room.

"You look a little tired, Bella," Liam said, unable to contain his laughter. "Everything all right?"

"What's the matter?" Gianna asked, openly laughing at me. "Did sweet little Kimmie give you a big fat headache?"

"No, she didn't. I just need a nap. That's all," I replied as Liam, Gianna, and Emmett screamed with laughter.

"Whatever," Gianna said. "Your face tells a different story."

"Welcome to our world," Liam said with a grin. "The kids finally started acting like normal around you. It's official. You're really in the family now."

Emmett was absolutely shaking with laughter at me as we talked. Biscuit the dog and Midnight the cat both eyed me suspiciously from across the room, but thankfully they kept their distance.

"The kids really weren't too bad. Just talkative," I said. "I don't remember talking that much as a kid. Mostly, I stayed in my room reading books. I wasn't around many other children."

"They talk nonstop," Gianna said. "You try to listen and be interested, but sometimes, you just tune it out."

"Austin's really talking a lot more," Liam said seriously. "He barely talked at all when they first came back, but he's making up for lost time now."

"Henry's loosened up too," Gianna said. "They're like night and day from when they moved back."

"I hope Brett understands what he's getting into," Emmett said. "Kids are a lot of work."

Brett was at Maggie's with Emily when we'd just dropped the boys off. He seemed very comfortable with them, more so than me actually.

"Don't worry about it," Liam said to his brother. "I think his folks will help them a lot anyway. Emily says they're gonna try to find a place right near them."

"That'll be great since Emily doesn't drive," I said. "Mary and Waylon will be near if Brett's at work or something."

"That's true," Gianna said. "Do you two want to stay for dinner? It's almost done."

"No, I promised Bella dinner out tonight," New Business said. "I owe her a drink."

"Ain't that sweet," Liam said as we all laughed. We talked with them more and Gianna stopped us just as we were about to leave.

"Did Kim do your hair?" she asked as she touched the braid.

"She did," I said. "I really like it."

"Beauty school's cheaper than college, so I'm all for this career choice," Liam said as we laughed all over again.

"I almost forgot to tell you," Gianna said. "We went to Costco earlier and we ran into Lizzie and her family. She sent in her son's résumé after she talked to you, and Jasper already set up an interview for Thursday."

"I don't know how they're gonna pay for all those new jobs," Liam said, obviously in the loop on all the changes at ATS.

"They got the money, trust me," Emmett said. "They just never wanted to come off of it. They'll be fine."

"Can't we tempt you into coming back?" Gianna asked Emmett with a smirk.

"Read my lips," New Business said. "Hell. No."

And with a loud round of laughter, we parted ways with Liam and Gianna.

* * *

"Dinner last night was perfect," I said to New Business as I prepared to leave for work on Wednesday morning.

"Thank you for being so great about the kids," he said as he clutched me more tightly.

"I have to go," I said as I gazed into his eyes.

"I don't want you to," he replied, leaning in to kiss me.

We shared a kiss that was much too passionate for two people who needed to go to work and I reluctantly pulled away.

"I'll see you tonight," I said.

"I'll be here after counseling," he said. "I promise."

"You'll be fine there," I said. "Just say what you feel."

"I will," he replied with one final hug and kiss. "See you tonight."

My workday absolutely flew by. In the morning, I completed the review meetings with the marketing and legal teams. I even received a special invitation.

"One more thing before I leave," Jared said with a smirk as I made a copy of his signed review.

"Why am I nervous about what you're about to say?" I asked.

"You should be," he said. "Randall's happier about this promotion than I am, and he wants you over for dinner to celebrate. He won't take no for an answer."

"Just let me know when and I'm there," I said. "Me and Randall are tight like that."

Jared cracked up laughing as he left my office. I couldn't wait to have dinner with Jared and his partner, Randall, who'd I'd taken to so easily at the holiday party.

In the afternoon, Jasper and I interviewed two of the executive assistant candidates. One was a possibility; the other was obviously more concerned with working with the Cullens than actually learning about the job.

"That's a 'no' on her," I said to Jasper after she left.

"Her résumé was great," Jasper said. "I'm surprised she came off so bad in person."

"Jessica 2.0," said Alice as we laughed.

For the rest of the day, Jasper and I went over the résumés for tomorrow's interviews. I couldn't believe he'd lined up so many already, but as he so aptly stated, "People need jobs. They're available."

* * *

When I returned home, New Business wasn't there, but his schedule for the month was. He'd printed it and put it up on the refrigerator for me.

**Emmett McCarty, New Business Leader,  
Region 5: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming  
ITINERARY - January 2013**

Jan 1-3: Seattle, WA - Status/Planning Meetings  
Jan 3-5: Billings, MT - Sales Visit  
Jan 5-8: Chicago, IL - Summit-Meyer Annual Sales Kickoff  
Jan 8-11: Jackson Hole, WY - Wyoming Business Alliance Conference  
Jan 11-14: Houston, TX - 2013 Software Innovations Conference  
Jan 14-18: Las Vegas, NV - Summit-Meyer 2013 New Product Launch  
Jan 18-20: Denver, CO - Close that Deal! Sales Training  
Jan 20-23: Boise, ID - Sales Visit  
Jan 23-25: Cheyenne, WY - Sales Visit  
Jan 25-27: Palm Desert, CA - Western Region Sales Retreat with CEO Foster  
Jan 27-31: Seattle, WA - Status/Planning Meetings

_Holy shit. _My head hurt just looking over this list. I liked to travel as much as the next person but this seemed extreme. Not to mention the fact that it was January, the middle of winter, and some of these cities had the potential for very nasty weather that I prayed New Business wouldn't get stuck in.

With a sigh, I headed to the bedroom. I decided to shower and change in preparation for my last night with Emmett. I put on my white lace bra, as it seemed to be a favorite of his. I didn't have panties that matched it, but that didn't matter because I was still on my period. I put on a pair of black sleep shorts and the Seahawks jersey he'd given me for Christmas with his name on the back.

"That's about as sexy as I'm gonna get," I said to my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"Don't move," Emmett said suddenly from the doorway of the bathroom. "You know I need a picture of you like this."

I chuckled as my face flushed; I hadn't heard him come in at all. I had to pose from the front and the back so he could snap pictures of me in my jersey from all angles. When he could bear to put the camera down, we stepped into the bedroom where he pulled me into a tight hug.

"You smell amazing," he said as he brazenly sniffed my neck.

"I know," I replied as he laughed and let me go.

"C'mon," he said as he took me by the hand. "I've got a surprise for you."

I didn't have to ask what it was because as soon as we reached the end of the hall I saw it on the breakfast bar: the largest bouquet of deep red roses I'd ever seen, in a crystal vase with a gauzy ribbon tied around it.

"They're beautiful," I said as I flung my arms around him.

"Just like you," he said.

I released him and ran to the vase where I breathed deeply to take in the aroma. I couldn't begin to count how many flowers were there.

"I brought dinner for you too," he said shyly. "Your favorite."

I gasped when he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bag.

"Asian chicken salad?" I asked as he nodded.

I was grinning so much that my face began to hurt.

I didn't know if I really had a favorite food, but I did rave about the Asian chicken salad from the restaurant ATS used for catering. I got tired of scrounging around to see if there was any left over from the various meetings, so I'd gone to the restaurant myself a few times on the way home from work. Apparently, Emmett had noticed.

"You actually listen to me, who knew?" I remarked.

"I do," he said with a chuckle. "Have a seat."

I sat down at the table and he served my salad and asked what I wanted to drink. I watched him move about the kitchen, though it was hard to take my eyes off of the flowers.

"How was counseling?" I asked when he sat down.

He rolled his eyes. "Bunch of bullshit," he said as I laughed. "At least I'll be gone so I'll miss the next ones. They're doing that shit every week this month."

"Obviously you didn't like it," I said with a chuckle. "But what about the others? Did they get anything out of it?"

"Liam talked a lot more than I thought he would," he said. "Ma was really defensive at first but she warmed up to the therapist toward the end. Emily was her usual self."

"Did you like the therapist?" I asked as I cut up my salad.

"No," he replied with a frown. "Fucking know it all, asking all her dumb-ass questions. _What do you think, Emmett? How did you feel, Emmett? What was that like, Emmett? _Too fucking nosey."

I could only laugh and shake my head at his disgusted expression. "She's just doing her job," I said.

Again, he rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said. "Everybody else seemed to get something from it, so that's all that matters."

I really wanted to press him for his feelings but he was obviously upset about it, and I didn't want our last night together for a while to end with him angry. Apparently, he felt the same way.

"Enough about me," he said. "Tonight is for you. With the holidays and our families and jobs, I've been totally neglecting you. While we were waiting, Ma and Liam told me that you're not Gianna's boss anymore. I didn't even know that. I don't like not knowing what's going on with you. I wanna know everything about you."

"I don't even want to know everything about myself," I said as he laughed.

"You're making a joke when I'm trying to be serious," he said. "That's really cute and all, but it's not gonna work tonight."

"Nothing's really going on except work," I said with an exasperated sigh. "You know that already."

"Tell me about work then," he said. "You know all about what's going on with my job. I don't know much at all about what's going on with yours. You have to be stressed right now. Tell me about it."

I wanted to make another joke, but he was really serious. His eyes took on an intensity I'd never seen before as he stared at me. I took a few more bites of my salad, drank some water, and started talking.

"Well, first of all, I really miss Caius," I began. "And I'm nervous about getting in touch with him because I don't know what kind of relationship we have now. It was okay when we were boss and employee, but is it okay for us to be friends? I don't think I'd like it if you had some woman you used to work with calling you all the time, so I'm worried what his wife will think."

And then the floodgates opened. New Business ate his dinner and listened with real interest as I shared all of my feelings about my job.

How worried I was that it would consume all my free time. How nervous I was about being respected and taken seriously as a woman in an executive position. How I felt a little hypocritical being nice and chummy with Rose, Carlisle, and Edward when just a few weeks ago, they'd treated me like shit.

"I worry about my relationship with Alice and Gianna and Jasper," I continued. "I really don't like being their boss but they're great workers. It makes me uncomfortable, but there's nothing I can do about it. I need them."

I shared my fears that Edward, Rose, and Carlisle's family would interfere with the company, even though the three swore they'd learned to stop telling their relatives so many details about ATS and its finances. I talked about how unfair I thought it was that I'd been asked to take over the shakiest team.

"Half the new people we're hiring will be on my team," I shrieked. "That's a lot of fucking pressure on me. First of all, I have to make sure everybody works together. Then, I have to keep watch to make sure they're not freaking head cases."

When I exhausted myself talking about work, I revealed my thoughts on our friends and family.

"You know Emily and Brett are gonna get engaged soon," I said. "Everybody's getting engaged and that's going to put a spotlight on us. I don't want that. I want us to move at our own pace."

"I'm with you on that one," he said as he stood and cleared the table of our trash. Then we moved into the living room where we sat in the corner of the sectional. I sat sideways on his lap so I could face him.

"I feel like I'm being a bad friend too," I said as he lightly stroked my thigh. "Angie jumped right into this thing with Ben after she'd been with Eric for years. Part of me feels like it's her life and she should do what she wants, but part of me feels like I should be telling her to pump the brakes a little."

He listened quietly as I moved on to my family.

"I'm happy for my dad that he's found Sue," I said. "But I'm kind of pissed off that he didn't tell me he was selling the house. I have a lot of memories there and soon it'll be gone. I don't really have a right to say anything, but I'm kind of upset about it."

He leaned down and placed a light kiss on the top of my forehead as I moved on to my mom.

"You saw her with Austin when she was here," I said. "I think she's backed off of pushing me to get married soon, but I think she'll start up about me having a baby. My dad made a crack about it yesterday when I said the kids were here. I don't want them pushing me."

At this, he began to play with the ends of my hair. I'd reached the end of my 'worries list', where my concerns about our relationship had been placed.

"Whether it seems like it or not, I worry about you," I said as I looked down at my lap. "About us. I feel like I'm so dependent on you. Emotionally. And that bothers me. I'm used to being on my own for the most part, and it scares me that my whole sense of happiness is tied to someone I just met in August."

I looked up at him then with tears in my eyes. His whole face had frozen and I felt like it was a reflection of what mine must look like right now.

"I love you so much," I said as the tears fell. "Deep down, I always feel like something bad's gonna happen because everything with you is too good to be true. You're so handsome, you're such a great person, you'd do anything for the people you love. If I can see that, other people can too. Other women. I don't know what I'd do if you..."

That was the last thing I was able to say before he grabbed me roughly and kissed me like his life depended on it. Tears from above me fell on my cheeks. His tears.

"You don't fucking_ ever _have to worry about another woman," he said as his voice cracked and shook. "All I see is you. All I think about is you. I worry every fucking night that one of these times I'm away, you'll realize that you deserve somebody better. Somebody who won't leave you all the time. Somebody who doesn't have all the family shit that I have. You just took over my whole fucking life since the day I met you. And I know exactly what you mean: that shit scares the hell out of me."

"I'm not leaving you," I said through gasping sobs. "There's nobody better for me than you. I love you."

"I can't leave you either," he said as he wiped his face. "So don't think that. As much as you love me, I love you a million times more. You have no idea how you make me feel. Nobody ever loved me like you love me."

I flung my arms around his neck and we sobbed together. He was gripping me so tightly that my ribs were beginning to hurt but I absorbed the pain. Hearing him say what he'd just said to me made everything worth it.

When we finally calmed down and pulled ourselves apart, I leaned back and smirked at him.

"If you love me a million times more, then I love you a billion," I said as he guffawed.

"I love you a trillion," he said with a blinding grin.

"Decadillion," I replied.

"That shit's not even real," he said as he threw back his head and laughed.

"Yes it is," I insisted.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me with a dubious expression.

"I still win, whether it's real or not," I said as I kissed the tip of his nose.

"I win because I get you," he said, "and that's the end of it."

We exchanged silly grins before I spoke.

"Thank you for pushing me to talk," I said. "I didn't realize all that stuff was swirling around in my head."

"Yeah, you got problems," he said as I laughed.

"I wanna know what's going on with you," he said seriously when I quieted down. "Sometimes it helps to just talk. I'll listen whenever you need me."

"Thank you. I do feel better," I said as I placed my hands on his chest and placed a light kiss on his lips.

"Good," he said. "Now it's time for your surprise."

"I thought the roses and dinner were my surprise," I said in confusion.

"You thought wrong," he said as I looked up at him eagerly. "Don't pass out because this is not what you think."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I replied hurriedly. "Gimme!"

He cracked up laughing, then kissed me again. When he pulled back, he reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulled out a ring box.

"You know how I feel about you," he said as I stared at the box wondering what the hell he was doing.

I looked up at him and nodded.

"I think we've both made it clear that we're not ready to be engaged or married and have all that responsibility," he said.

I nodded once more, dying of curiosity about what was in the box.

"This is not an engagement ring," he said. "But it does make it pretty obvious that somebody loves you. I want you to look at it and think of me."

I gasped when he opened the box: inside was a ring - - a thin, pinkish-gold band - - with "I love you" written around it in script.

"It's beautiful," I whispered as my eyes again filled with tears.

"Will you wear it?" he asked nervously.

"Every day," I said.

"It's rose gold," he said. "I thought it looked different. I liked it."

"I love it," I said. "Put it on. Now!"

"Yes, Madam Bad-Ass," he said as we laughed together. "I hope it fits. You don't really wear much jewelry but the lady..."

Tired of his yammering, I grabbed the ring out of the box as he laughed. It was a little big for my ring finger, but it fit perfectly on my middle one.

"We can get it sized down if you want," he said as I held my hand out to admire it.

"No, this is perfect," I said with a huge grin as I wriggled my finger around to examine the ring. "If it was on either ring finger, people would talk. Thank you. I love it."

"Whew, I'm glad," he said with relief. "I thought you would've noticed the box in my pocket."

"You keep so much shit in your pockets, I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled a puppy out one day," I said as he guffawed.

His eyes flickered devilishly and he opened his mouth to speak. I quickly cut him off.

"And no snake jokes either," I said as he clutched his stomach and fell sideways, laughing hysterically.

"I know you better than you think, New Business," I said with a smirk. "I even understand your sick need to make crass jokes."

"But you love me anyway," he replied with a sheepish grin.

"I do," I replied. "I love you anyway."

* * *

Emmett and I talked so long on Wednesday night after he gave me the ring that we fell asleep on the sectional. This morning, after careful discussion and consideration, I decided to place a temporary hold on my 'no period sex' policy. It was lighter because it was almost over anyway, and seriously, I wouldn't be seeing New Business for almost a month. Something had to give. He certainly hadn't minded.

"I'm gonna call you so much you'll get tired of me," he said as we tried to drag ourselves apart so that we could leave for work.

"I'll never get tired of you," I replied before we parted ways.

At work, I might as well have had a floodlight on my hand because nearly every person I encountered, men and women, ATS staff and interviewees, commented on my ring.

Jake was first to notice, when we met for a two-person exec team meeting since Rose, Edward, and Carlisle were still out of the office on the client visits.

"Damn, Emmett's got it_ bad_," Jake said when he grabbed my hand to take a closer look at the ring.

"You get things like this when you're a fuck-awesome girlfriend," I replied as he howled with laughter.

"You fucking_ own_ his ass, bitch," said Gianna as she chuckled and held my hand to examine the ring. "If I didn't think he was serious before, I know it now."

"Do you want to take a picture?" I asked as she cackled. "I'm sure you'll need to give a full report to the family."

"That's a ring that says 'she's off the market'," Jasper said, laughing, when he saw it.

"You might as well start a wedding registry," Alice said with a smirk. "It's only a matter of time."

They laughed at me, but I didn't mind. I freaking loved my ring and I could take all their snide comments.

"Enough about me, you two," I said to them as they continued laughing. "Let's get these interviews started."

"Let's," Jasper said. "We'll be doing them all day."

My HR director had not been lying. I spent all day with Jasper interviewing people for some of the open positions. Alice, Jake, Peter, Jared, Heidi, and Logan were called in at different points, depending on the position we were interviewing for at the time.

Because several of the interviewees were relatives or friends of ATS staffers, the day was also filled with nervous employees who paced the floor outside of HR.

Laurent practically pounced on me when I left the interview with his younger sister, Larissa. He'd recommended her for one of the administrative assistant positions.

"So," he asked, "did she get one?"

"No," I replied as his mouth fell open. "She didn't get one of the admin jobs."

"But she..." he began with real agitation.

"We like her for the copywriter job," I said with a grin as his mouth fell open again. "Jared and Peter put together a writing test really quickly and she's taking that now."

"But she doesn't have any marketing experience," he said. "How did you know she writes?"

"She said on her résumé that she minored in English for one thing," I said. "And she also put a link to her blog on her résumé. We checked it out. It's pretty awesome."

"But she just messes around on there," he said dismissively.

"She's a very strong writer," I said. "She's young, but she really mixes humor in well with serious topics. And she writes great titles for her blog posts. That was the main selling point. In marketing, you need to be able to write lines that are catchy and to the point. We want to give her a shot. Jasper's calling her references now."

"So this would be more money than the admin job, right?" he asked.

"Right," I replied.

"Carry on then," he said with a grin as I cracked up laughing.

Next to pace the floor were Riley and Lizzie. We'd interviewed his brother, Ricky, and her son, Tucker, for the two operations associate jobs back to back. They were both still here, taking some tests just to make sure they could type basic e-mails and could use Microsoft Office products like they said they could.

"They're like the same damn person," Jasper whispered to me when we left them in the testing room.

"They are," I said with a chuckle. "Very strapping young lads."

Ricky and Tucker were both a little over six feet tall with athletic builds. Ricky's hair was a little darker than Tucker's and he had brown eyes to Tucker's blue, but other than that they were quite similar. Both were soon to be nineteen, and both had been incredibly nervous, but polite, in the interviews. Because neither one of them had much job experience, they'd had some of their high school teachers and sports coaches e-mail us glowing reference letters.

"They called me 'ma'am' so much I feel like I'm a thousand years old," I said as Jasper laughed.

"What do you think about them?" he asked me and Logan, who'd also sat in on the interviews. "You both read their reference letters. There's pros and cons to hiring two people so young and inexperienced."

"I like them," I said. "And not just because nobody else applied for the job."

Jasper and Logan cracked up laughing. "I'd like to give them a chance," I said. "There's a lot of labor involved and they can clearly do that, and because they haven't worked very many places, they won't really know that their job is kind of undefined right now."

"I agree," said Logan, who would be supervising them. "I feel like if we get some older people in here, they'll want things done their way more than these two will. With proper direction, I think they'll do great."

"Okay," Jasper said. "Bella, you go tell Lizzie and Riley. They almost bit my head off last time I went out into the hall."

I found Lizzie and Riley right outside of HR, talking rapidly and animatedly.

"Don't you two have work to do?" I asked. They seriously looked like they wanted to hurt me.

"Tough crowd," I said with a chuckle.

"What are they doing so long in there?" Lizzie asked indignantly.

She acted just like I had when Gianna had interviewed and I'd been a nervous wreck.

"I wasn't here this long for my own interview," Riley said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Right now, they're testing on the Office suite," I said. "Just to make sure they can use Word and Excel like they said. And we're giving them a test to see if they can draft and respond to basic e-mails."

"I guess that makes sense," Lizzie said, though she looked highly put out.

"So, are they gonna get it?" Riley asked. "My mom's ringing my phone off the hook."

"Logan and I have both agreed to bring them on," I said.

"Yes!" Riley shouted.

"Thank you," Lizzie screamed as she grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Don't call anybody yet though," I said. "First of all, they have to accept the jobs, and then we have to find out when they can start."

"Of course Tucker wants the job," Lizzie said as she looked at me like I was nuts. "He can start right now. Forget the gas station. People come and go from there all the time."

"Ricky can start right now too," said Riley. "My mom will put her foot down with my dad if she has to about the painting work."

"Thanks, but we'd like forTucker and Ricky to tell us that," I said as they cracked up laughing.

The rest of the interviews for the day were for the two executive assistant positions and the _many _administrative assistant positions. We loved two of the candidates, and we thought they'd be perfect for sales: one as the new sales team admin and the other as Edward's executive assistant. We asked Heidi to come down and talk to them, and she agreed that with their background and temperament, they'd fit in well.

"I'd say five potential hires out of ten interviews is a pretty good day," Jasper said when we finished the last meeting.

"I don't know if that's good or bad, but I have a new admiration for you," I said as he laughed. "Some of these people are nothing like they claim to be in their cover letters. I'd have to start calling people out if I did this all day."

"That's why you do what you do and I do HR," Jasper said with a cocky grin. "I have to remain calm at all times."

"Even in the face of complete and total bullshit," Alice said as we ended the day with laughter.

* * *

Friday brought more interviews. Jasper heard back from the references for the two sales team candidates we'd liked yesterday, so after we asked Heidi to come down to Jasper's office, we called Edward and put him on speaker to set up a time for him to meet them on Monday.

"They'll have to meet my approval," he said haughtily after he hemmed and hawed about a meeting time.

"We're well aware of that," I said as I rolled my eyes. "But you're the one who said you needed somebody like yesterday."

"Let's do it early then," he said with attitude, like we were bothering him. "Anytime between nine and eleven works for me."

Jasper, Alice, Heidi, and I all fell out laughing when he ended the call.

"What the hell is his problem?" Alice asked as she laughed.

"It's because of his _approval_ in the past that he needs a new assistant in the first place," I said as they laughed anew.

"Don't be too mad at him," Heidi said when she stopped laughing. "This is hard on him, admitting that Jessica was a mistake. Once he meets them, he'll see that they're right for the team. His pride is a little hurt; that's all that was."

Jasper called each of the candidates and asked them to come back on Monday to meet Edward and they both agreed.

"Good," Alice said when Jasper hung up the phone. "Now he can stop giving me dirty looks for not being his assistant."

I sat in on two more interviews, then I left to meet with Alice and Logan. I'd asked Alice to set up a meeting with the vending machine representative and also to line up meetings with some coffee services as the chiefs had requested.

The first three meetings went well, but the last one left us furious.

"I'm shaking right now I'm so mad," Alice said, fuming, when the sleazy sales rep left.

"I knew it wouldn't be long before I had to deal with some sexist crap, but I didn't expect it from a coffee vendor," I said as I shook my head.

"That's a local company and they always act like they're so green and eco-friendly," Logan said tightly. "Maybe they should be more concerned about their own work environment. It's gotta be pretty crappy if they let people like him represent them."

"I'm writing a letter to the president of the company and their customer service," I said as I opened an e-mail. "And I'm copying the exec team and everyone here. His behavior was ridiculous."

"Don't use your executive team group list," Alice said. "Type in Carlisle, Rose, and Edward's names separately."

"She's right," Logan said as I did as instructed. "Once they see the names Cullen, Masen, and Hale, that'll get their attention."

We should've known the meeting would not go well when the asshole sales rep greeted us by saying, "Wow. If you three were blonde, you could give Hugh Hefner's girlfriends a run for their money."

He'd already set up his presentation, so we let him continue, but we were annoyed right off the bat. When he continued to refer to us as "you girls" we started to wrap things up. But when he lost his train of thought at one point because he was too busy ogling my chest, then actually _licked his lips_ as he continued to stare, I'd had enough.

"Okay, you're done here," I said firmly. "We will not be making any contracts with you because you're a pig. You have two minutes to leave before I have you escorted out."

I didn't know if I could actually get him 'escorted out', but we did have building security. And even if we didn't, any of the men here - - Jake, Jasper, Seth, Ben, Laurent, and more - - would have happily tossed his ass out.

He'd glared at me before he hastily packed up his samples and materials, mumbling something about "stuck-up bitches" on the way out.

When I finished typing the e-mail, which I promptly sent, I decided that Alice, Logan, and I needed a break.

"Come on," I said. "I'm treating you two to lunch. We need some fresh air."

"It's hard to believe that in 2013, guys like that still exist," Logan said as we sat at a table at Jenks restaurant down the street and tried to eat our lunch.

"That I can believe," Alice said. "But I _can't_ believe a company would let someone like him work in sales in this day and age. How dumb can they be?"

"Rose told me that she's had some disgusting things said right to her face by clients and vendors," I said as they gasped. "It's like, deal with it, fellas. We have tits, but we have brains too."

"I think I'd like that on a t-shirt," Logan said as we laughed. The situation wasn't funny, but I was _not _going to let one Neanderthal asshole ruin our day.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised when Rose called me while we ate.

"I told you, there's some real assholes out there," she said angrily. "I loved the note you sent to their president. Did you see the reply from their PR person? She's scared shitless, as she should be."

"I'm at lunch with Alice and Logan," I said. "I hadn't checked my e-mails. What did she say?"

"Apologized ten different ways," Rose said with a laugh. "She says they'll be 'following up' and 'investigating'. I'm glad there were three of you there because it's not just your word against his."

"True," I said. "I don't care what she says. We're not using them, even if they try to give us free service. He was a pig, and it says a lot about them that they send him out to represent them."

I could hear talking in the background, then she spoke again.

"Edward says he knows their sales boss and he's an asshole too," she said. "And Carlisle says to tell you he's sorry about this. You only had the meeting because he asked you to look into some coffee services."

"It's not his fault at all," I said. "We had two other meetings with coffee vendors, and the vending machine rep, and they went perfectly fine."

She briefly relayed what I said, then got back on the phone. "We're on our way back now," she said. "The client visits went really well."

"I'm glad," I said.

"I had to call to tell you that you made my day," she said with a chuckle. "I love to see sexist assholes squirm. See you Monday."

"Bye, Rose," I said as I ended the call.

"I really didn't expect this to be such a big deal," I said after I told Alice and Logan what she'd said.

"That guy's ass is grass when this gets around," Logan said with a laugh. "He insulted us, and we're basically representatives of the Cullens. He messed up big."

"Do you think he even knew that the Cullen family started this company?" I asked.

"He should have," Alice said. "Any real sales rep would have researched the client before a sales call. At the very least, he should've looked at our website, and Carlisle, Edward, and Rose's names are all over it."

"Didn't you notice how the other two vendors kept mentioning Carlisle's name, and saying how honored they'd be to have our business?" Logan asked me.

"I did," I replied. "I just thought it was because he was the CEO."

"He is," Alice said. "But why would coffee vendors be bending over backwards to mention a CEO's name? Because this would be a big account for them locally, just on name recognition alone. You're still kind of new to Seattle. You still don't really understand how known the Cullen name is here. The Masens and Hales too."

"She's right," Logan said, nodding vigorously. "I guarantee you that company is sweating bullets right now. If they could've landed an account with the Cullens, that would've been huge for them. They're not a very big company at all."

"Not only did they _not _land the account," Alice said with a grin, "they insulted us, and we're representatives of the Cullens. This is_ not _over. He better be glad Caius wasn't here. He wouldn't have taken this lightly."

"I'm just glad you said something," Logan said.

"I'm just glad none of us was alone with that sleazeball," I said as we finished our lunch.

When we returned, I had about a half an hour before I needed to head down to HR, and all the talk of Cullens, Masens, and Hales finalized something I'd been worrying over in my head.

I'd finally decided to call Caius.

I didn't know where in the world he was, but I assumed he was still in Europe; he said he'd be there for a while. I decided to text him and tell him to call me at work when he had time.

"There," I said when I sent the text. "Done."

In less than a minute, my work phone rang.

"Hello, secret lover," said Caius as I cackled into the phone.

"That is _exactly_ why I've been worried about calling you," I said. "I don't want your wife mad at me."

"I must admit, I've been reluctant to call you too," he said. "No matter how much I've missed you. You put up with too many rumors because of me and I didn't want to start that up again."

"It's just not the same here without you," I said. "There's a dent in the wall outside my office where you used to wait for me."

He laughed heartily. "I miss that sense of humor; I truly do."

"Maybe if you call me here in the office, it won't feel so much like we're doing something wrong," I said.

"I take your point," he said. "I've been patiently waiting for your call."

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

"Carlisle's been calling me every day," he said. "We've never talked this much."

"That's a good thing, right?" I asked.

"Definitely," he said. "He's been telling me everything that's been going on. He's very impressed with you, and so am I. I knew you would do well, and you are."

"Some of that is false bravado," I admitted.

"That's often needed when you're in a leadership role," he said. "The rank and file look to you for the appearance of confidence and strength. That's what you have to give them, whether you feel that way or not."

"Oh, how I've missed you saying things like 'rank and file' to me," I said as he laughed.

"I miss_ you_," he said.

Again, I grinned widely.

"You have a very sharp mind," he said. "I used to love our talks in the mornings. I miss that. I've wanted to call you every day, but just like you said, it doesn't feel quite right since we don't work together anymore."

"It really doesn't," I said.

"It would be easier if you _were _my mistress, like everyone thought," he said. "Because then, I just wouldn't give a shit; I'd call you when I felt like it. But you had to go and be a decent human being, and I don't want to make things hard for you."

"I'm a police chief's daughter, what can I say?" I replied as he laughed. "I try to live right."

"I do like this 'calling you at work' arrangement that you've proposed," he said. "Would it be all right if I called you there regularly?"

"That's fine," I said quickly. "I promise Emmett won't beat you up."

"Good to know," he said as he chuckled. "I'll explain the situation to Dora as well. How _are _things with Emmett?"

"Very good," I said. "We're doing really well. He's kind of on a fast track at Summit-Meyer and he's been traveling a lot already. I hate when he's gone, but I don't feel as guilty about how much time I'm starting to spend here because he's away too."

"I thought he'd do well there," he said. "It's a huge company. There's plenty of room for advancement for someone like him. How are you liking the COO job? And tell me the truth."

"It's... challenging," I said as I grinned. "I'm honestly loving it. I have my moments where I'm annoyed that Esme basically didn't do shit, but I kind of like putting together my own team and my own systems."

"You're basically starting from scratch," he said. "Esme is utterly useless. And now she's playing the 'I can't lift a finger because I'm pregnant' game. She's worthless."

I snorted with laughter. "Be nice, grandpa," I said as he guffawed.

"Let's hope my grandson comes out more Cullen than Platt," he said. "I'll _have_ to be involved in the poor boy's life. He'll need me. Carlisle's mother is too wrapped up in herself to care about him, and Esme's parents are total idiots. He'll need one rational grandparent."

"Poor kid if you're the most rational one," I said.

"What did you think of that business with Irina and the client?" he asked when we finished laughing.

"I thought that if you'd have found out when you were here, you'd have had a heart attack," I said.

"I almost had one when Carlisle told me," he said disgustedly. "Can you_ believe_ Rose and Edward? I _told_ you they don't know much about operating a business. They're smart, but they just haven't experienced enough to understand. That could have gotten us embroiled in some nasty lawsuits. At least the client didn't fight when we terminated his contract."

"What did he do? I hadn't heard," I said.

"He accepted it," Caius said. "We refunded his money."

"Which is ridiculous," I said.

"It is," he replied. "But a few thousand dollars back to him, versus all the nasty publicity that could result from a lawsuit was worth it."

"Did he have anything to say for himself?" I asked since Caius was so well informed.

"Carlisle said he claims to really love Irina," he said. "That tells me right there he's a moron. That woman is insufferable."

I shouldn't have laughed, but I did.

"Carlisle and Sam reminded him that fucking our staff is not a part of our service agreement," Caius said. "There really wasn't much he could say to that. He has Irina, so she can do all his web upkeep. That's what she was doing for him at ATS anyway."

"I couldn't help but notice your repeated use of the words 'us' and 'we'," I said with a smirk, not that he could see me.

"Yes, you did," he said with a smile in his voice. "I poured my soul into ATS. I may be gone but it's still a part of me."

"We really miss you," I said. "Why don't you come back?"

"There's not really a place for me anymore, is there?" he asked.

"Caius, we could..."

"Oh, I'm joking," he said with a chuckle. "I'm done. I might be a little bored, but I can't deny that I feel much less stressed and anxious. My blood pressure had been creeping back up, and it's already back down to normal. I needed to leave. Like I told you before, if I work again, it'll be for myself."

"Your health is so much more important," I said as I glanced at the clock. I was already supposed to be in HR for the next interview.

"It is," Caius said. "Right now, I'm just enjoying life."

"Good for you," I said. "Listen, I need to run. Jasper and I are interviewing and I need to get down to HR."

"I understand," he said. "Carlisle has sent me some of your e-mails and you're putting quite a team together. I can't tell you how proud that makes me."

"Thank you, Caius," I said as I got a little choked up. "I learned from the best. _You_."

"Okay, I'm reluctantly letting you go," he said. "I'll try not to call you every day at work, but I will be calling you Monday morning. I have to tell you how much money the family has already spent."

He sounded positively giddy at the thought of our next chat.

"You said they'd go right through it," I said as I shook my head.

"Anthony bought himself an Aston Martin Vanquish for Christmas," he said.

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds expensive," I said.

"It's only a $300,000 dollar car," he said.

"Holy shit," I said. "I almost feel sorry for Edward. It's gotta be rough having an asshole like that for a brother."

"That's another topic for our Monday conversation," he said with glee. "Your new friendship with your good buddies Rose and Edward."

I cracked up laughing. "You sir, are incorrigible," I said. "Goodbye."

"Until Monday," he said happily as we ended the call.

Caius Cullen. There was simply _no one_ like him on the planet.

I gathered my notes and hastily made my way down to HR. My lingering smile never once left my face.

* * *

"It's not an engagement ring, but I'll take it," Renée said.

"Yes, I think it's enough to get you and Maggie off our backs for a while," I replied.

Last night, I'd sent my mother a picture of my ring. She'd definitely approved of it.

"What are your plans for today?" she asked. "Phil and I are going to look at furniture for his new office. And I know that you know, Ms. Secret Keeper."

I cackled with laughter.

"You're the one who said I was all Swan," I said to my big-mouthed mother. "The Swan tight-lipped-ness overrides the Higginbotham need to gossip."

"God, I wish I'd had another child sometimes," she said as I kept right on laughing. "I just can't deal with you when you're smug like this."

"Sorry, you're kind of stuck with me," I said as I grinned. "So how do you feel about Phil getting an office outside of the house?"

"I'm not happy, but he does need it," she said. "I've agreed to be his office manager, part-time."

"Excuse me, I need to sit down," I said. "I thought I just heard you say you agreed to work."

She could do nothing but laugh. "It's all your fault," she said. "This house is too empty without you. I need to do something with my time. Everybody's busy. I told him I'd give it a go, but if it got too stressful, I'm out."

"I'm really happy for you," I said. "For both of you. For some reason, he wanted to work with you, and now he can."

"I've had about as much of you as I can take for one conversation," she said with a chuckle. "What are you going to do with yourself today with Emmett gone?"

"Clean," I said. "I've been going non-stop since before Christmas. I'm going to clean this whole apartment. Until I get tired anyway."

"You should see what Angie's up to," she said.

"We were supposed to hang out today, but one of Ben's sisters went into labor, so she's at the hospital with them," I said.

"That family was a little too close for my tastes," she said. "But as long as Angie's happy."

"She is," I said.

"All right, sweetie. Phil's ready to go," she said.

"Tell him I said 'hello'," I replied. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said. "Talk to you soon."

* * *

There was so much that needed to be cleaned in my apartment that I actually had to make a little list so that I could decide what to do first.

"Laundry," I said to myself. "Definitely laundry."

I felt like an idiot for smiling when I started separating clothes from the hamper. For the first time ever, some of New Business' s clothes were mixed in with mine. He normally washed his dirty clothes at Maggie's, or more likely left them for her to do.

In the future, I would absolutely make him do some laundry on his own here, but for today, I allowed myself to get a little emotional. Little things like this were signs that I was in a real relationship, something that I still had a hard time wrapping my head around.

I'd put in the first load of clothes and started cleaning the kitchen when the man himself called me.

"How are we today?" he asked brightly.

"I was fine until I started doing laundry and the funk from somebody's giant dirty socks almost knocked me out," I replied.

He couldn't even speak he was laughing so hard.

"Laugh now, buddy," I said. "But once you're here for a little while, you _will _be doing some of your own laundry. Get used to the idea now."

"It's not my fault that Ma always did my laundry," he said. "That's just how she is."

"I'm happy for her," I said. "But that's now how it's gonna work over here. Just letting you know."

"We'll see," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, we will," I replied with a laugh of my own. "Obviously, I'm cleaning up. What are you doing today?"

"I'm schmoozing potential clients," he said. "Or at least I will be, come lunch time. My client meeting yesterday went well, so I'm hoping this one will too."

"I'm glad," I said. "You know, I think I'm going over to Maggie's today. Her crock pot and Emily's pan and a few other dishes are all here from Christmas."

"She's got tons of pots and pans," he said. "She probably doesn't even miss them."

"I'll still probably go over," I said. "I'll call first."

We talked more as I loaded and ran the dishwasher and finished tidying the kitchen.

"I better go," he said after a time. "I'm glad you're not doing any ATS work today. You need a break. Don't even check your e-mails."

"I'm not," I said. "Good luck. I'll talk to you tonight."

As usual, I ended our call with a smile on my face.

"I think I've done enough for today," I muttered as I looked around the living room. "I'll put away the Christmas tree and do the bathrooms tomorrow."

I decided that I would indeed go see Maggie, if she was at home.

"I'm here," she said when I called. "I don't care about those pans at all, but you're welcome to stop by."

"I'll be there soon," I said.

The more I thought about it, the better the idea of going to see her seemed. I rarely spent time with Maggie alone, and that needed to change. She would be my mother-in-law someday; she basically already was.

* * *

"I love your outfit," Maggie said when I took my coat off at her house.

I'd worn my navy yoga pants with matching zip-up jacket and a pair of sneakers.

"Thanks," I said as I followed her to the kitchen. "I like to be comfortable."

"Me too," she said.

"I'm sorry I kept these so long," I said as I placed the crock pot and pans on her counter.

"Oh, I know you've been busy," she said. "I meant to grab all this stuff Christmas night, but we were so wrapped up in talking with Brett and his family, and yours. I was distracted. It's fine though. I've got two other crock pots and more pans than I can count. "

She opened a few cabinets to put them away and they did appear to be filled to bursting with pans of all shapes and sizes.

"Gianna and Em told us all about your new job," she said with a smile. "You'll be great at it. "

"Thanks," I said. "The challenge will be not letting it take over my life."

"You'll manage. You're tough," she said as we walked back to the living room.

"I brought that folding table back too," I said. "Let me get it out of the car."

I dashed out to the car and brought it inside.

"Just leave that right here," she said, pointing to a wall in the dining room. "I'll have Liam put it back out in the shed the next time he's here."

I placed the folding table where she told me, and sat down on the couch.

"How come you're here by yourself?" I asked. "I don't even see Champ."

"Harry took him to see his granddaughter," she said.

"Popular dog," I said with a chuckle.

"He is," she replied. "They're at his granddaughter's birthday party."

"Why didn't you go?" I asked before I realized that I probably shouldn't have.

"I don't really care for his ex-wife," she said as she wrinkled her nose. "She's a big manager at Nordstrom's and she's always dressed to impress in fancy clothes. She kind of looks down her nose at me."

"Well that sucks," I said.

"I just steer clear of her," Maggie said, trying to pretend that like she wasn't hurt when her face clearly indicated that she was.

"Do you get along with his daughter?" I asked.

"She's nice enough to me," she said. "But I think she'd like someone a little less homey for her dad. She's a lot like her mom. They're both super skinny and they buy all the latest clothes. That's just not me."

"Harry thinks the world of you, so that's all that matters," I said as she smiled.

"What do you have planned for today?" she asked.

"I was supposed to spend the day with Angie," I said.

"I liked her," Maggie said. "She seems like a sweet girl."

"She really is like a sister to me," I said. "But one of Ben's sisters went into labor and she's with the family at the hospital."

"Emmett told me he's one of the 'Cheney Medical' Cheneys," Maggie said. "They're_ really_ rich. They probably own the hospital."

We laughed together. "Angie and I didn't know that when they met," I said.

"And I'm sure that makes Ben very happy," she said.

"I cleaned up some after she called, but I don't have anything else planned, and honestly, that's fine by me," I said. "It's been a busy last month. I don't mind the time to breathe a little."

"It definitely has been busy," she said.

"Where's Emily and the boys?" I asked.

"They're with Brett," she said. "He's good with the boys."

"You're really okay with them?" I asked.

"I'm getting there," she said calmly. "I'm always going to worry and fuss. But there's not much wrong I can find in the situation. They've known each other for almost a year now. He's a nice boy and his parents are good people. It's a blessing really. It was just a shock finding out."

"Emmett says they're talking about getting a house," I said. "Are you okay with that happening too?"

"I am," she said. "Mary told me that Brett wants to propose to her soon, now that all the family knows. He's very serious about her."

"I figured as much," I said.

"Emily knows what she wants," she said. "I have to trust her. I was just worried about the boys but I know she won't put them in a bad situation again."

"And if for some reason it doesn't work out, we'll help her," I said. "She'll be fine. The boys too."

"I think they're looking at houses today," Maggie said. "Brett's already been approved for a loan."

"Perks of working at a bank," I said as we laughed.

"Very true," she said. "Mary and I are trying to let them pick a place themselves."

I snorted and raised an eyebrow at her, as she cracked up laughing.

"We're trying to stay out of it for the most part," she said as she grinned. "We really are. They're looking in the same neighborhood where they live now. It's very nice there."

"Would Henry have to change schools?" I asked.

"He would, but I'm sure they'd let him finish out the spring term here and start there in the fall," she said.

"That would probably be easiest on him," I said.

"If they find a place in that neighborhood," she said, "I think Austin would be assigned to the school where Angie teaches and Mary used to teach."

"That would be great," I said. "Angie lives right near that school, so she must live pretty close to Brett and Mary. What a small world."

"It is," Maggie said. "We'll cross our fingers. Henry has a few friends in the neighborhood here but the schools are so much better where Mary is. I hope it works out."

"I'm sure it will," I said as I was struck with a whim.

"Since we've both been stood up today," I said, "why don't we go out and do something?"

Her face lit up, but then quickly clouded over. "I'm sure you have better things to do," she said.

"That's not an answer," I said. "We should hang out and spend a little time together. We've really only been alone the day you waited at my place for the furniture. We need to get to know each other. I'm not going anywhere."

"I like that you keep saying that," she said. "It would be nice to spend more time with you."

"Is there anywhere particular you'd like to go?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking of going to Michaels, but that's over in Bellevue and you might not want to..."

"The craft store Michaels?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I usually go during the week, late morning when the traffic's not so bad."

"Let's do it," I said. "Because then we can go to Bellevue Square. My mom and Sue and Phil went when they were here and they kept couldn't stop talking about it."

"I only go window shopping there," she said with a chuckle. "That's about all I can afford. But it should be fun, with you. I'll get ready."

* * *

Despite the traffic and the crowds, Maggie and I spent a very relaxing day together. First, we went to Michaels where we went our separate ways. We had Michaels in Phoenix too, and I was very familiar with the store. In addition to crafts and art supplies, they also sold all kinds of baking supplies and cake decorations. While I filled my cart in that part of the store, she filled hers in the yarn and knitting tools section.

"What a rush," Maggie said with glee as we'd loaded our many, many bags into my car.

"I can't believe we got all this for what we paid," I said with a chuckle. "Thanks for the coupons."

"No problem," she said. "If you ever get coupons in circulars or in the mail - - for anything - - that you don't want, give them to me. Even if I don't use them, I can take them to the girls at church. We always swap coupons."

"I will," I said.

Next, we'd gone to Bellevue Square, a very large mall, and set out a plan of attack.

"No way am I walking this whole thing," Maggie said as I laughed. "Let's get a directory and figure out where to go."

There wasn't any specific store that we wanted to go to, so we decided to pick somewhere to eat for lunch, then keep our walking and browsing to that area.

"I see they have a Cheesecake Factory," I said when I saw it on the directory. "I don't know how you feel about eating there."

"I've never been," she said. "Emily and Gianna loved it when they went with you."

"If you'd like to go, I have a gift card," I said.

"I thought you used those when you went with them?" she asked.

"My old boss sent me another one in her Christmas card," I said.

I'd sent one Christmas card to the funeral home, giving them a brief update on my life in Seattle and telling them I missed them all. I'd received my boss's card a few days later.

"I'd love to go then," she said happily.

There was a line and quite a wait, so we put our names down then walked around in the stores near that part of the mall. As we walked, my phone only rang once, when Angie told me they were all still at the hospital and that the baby hadn't been born yet.

Maggie's phone, however, barely stopped ringing. She took calls from Harry, Emily, Liam, and finally Emmett.

"Guess who I'm out with?" she sang when she answered his call. "Bella! We're at Bellevue Square."

He gave some long reply that had her cracking up laughing, then she talked to him for quite a while. I really didn't want to eavesdrop so I wandered off back toward the restaurant, then lingered so she could catch up when she was done.

I was distracted by my own window shopping when my phone rang.

"You're amazing," New Business said. "She's really happy you did this. Thank you."

"I'm having a great time too," I said. "It's no problem."

"I'll call you tonight," he said. "I love you."

Maggie had just about reached me when I ended the call.

"Our table's ready," she said, holding up the buzzer with its red lights flashing.

"I'm glad," I replied as we hurried along. "I'm starving."

We followed our hostess to a table in the busy restaurant and settled in to look at the menus while the waiter talked about the specials and took our drink orders.

"I thought Emily was exaggerating about the menu," Maggie said as she flipped through the pages.

"It's huge," I said with a chuckle as I decided what to get.

We both made our decisions and went back to talking. We didn't want for conversation at all and talked in-depth over the course of the meal.

"How did you like the therapy session?" I asked.

"It wasn't as bad as I was expecting," she said as she took a moment to wipe off her glasses. "The therapist is very nice. I made an appointment to go and talk to her on my own."

"I think that's great," I said.

"I always thought it would be... different," she said. "I don't know. I thought everybody would be yelling and blaming me but it wasn't like that. She just asked each of us to talk about why we thought we were there."

I chuckled because her recollection was completely different from her son's.

"Whatever the kids said on Christmas really shook Liam up," she said. "He kept saying he didn't like thinking that he was making life bad for Kim or the boys."

"Sometimes kids see things more clearly than adults," I said.

"Yeah," she said. "It's a shame Em won't be back for a while, but I know he'll come to the appointments when he can. The therapist said Emily told her how much he travels so that's why she made our appointment as soon as she did. I appreciate that because at least we were all there for the first one."

"I'm proud of all of you," I said. "It's not easy to do but you all deserve to be happy."

She nodded and we both went back to eating. I wanted to ask Maggie more, so much more, about her life and her family and whether she really hadn't talked to them in years. But I didn't ask.

This was the first time we'd spent together without an argument or major tension, and I didn't want to ruin it.

Besides, I had many years to get to know Maggie. As I told her before, I wasn't going anywhere. The McCartys were my family now too.

* * *

**A/N: I'll be putting a picture of the ring in Ch. 14 on the _New Business Guy_ blog (link in profile). **

**As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15: Moving and Shaking Outtake

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

***Last week, **while procrastinating from doing many, many things, I made some floor plans for ATS to map out where everyone would sit after the 11th floor expansion.

***Of course, **all sorts of chatter began in my head, and I was compelled to write this.

***I've called **this chapter an outtake because this was not what I had planned for Ch. 15... at all :)

***The floor plans **are on the blog (link in profile).

***Hope you **enjoy it. It's another long one!

* * *

_**New Business Guy  
**_**Chapter 15: "Moving and Shaking" Outtake**

**BPOV**

**Saturday, January 26, 2013**

"Okay, now I'm getting worried," I muttered as I waited for Emmett to answer his phone.

He didn't answer, just like the last three times I'd tried to call.

"I'll try him when I get home," I said with a long sigh.

I stood to leave, then groaned when I saw Caius hurrying toward my office. I quickly exited and locked my door so he wouldn't come in and sit down.

"You're leaving?" he asked with a grin. "It's _only_ 8:30."

"That means that I've been here for thirteen hours today," I replied. "I think you can forgive me."

"Yes, I think so," he said, still smiling. "I think you're doing an incredible job. It was great talking to you on the phone and hearing about all the changes, but seeing you in action today just confirmed that you're perfect for this."

"Thanks," I said tiredly. "I'm just glad this fucking renovation, expansion, whatever it is, is almost over."

"It has dragged on and on," he said. "That's the main reason I came back. When Carlisle said the move had to be completed this weekend so the new staff can start Monday, I felt like I should be here to throw my weight around to get things done."

I tried to laugh but was seriously too tired to do so.

"Well, you did," I said as I smiled weakly at him. "I should've known you wouldn't be able to stay away, but I'm really glad you were here. We needed you. We still do."

"Coming from you, that means the world," he said. "You look dead on your feet. Go home, get some rest, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"'night, Caius."

I'd been stunned beyond words to arrive at the office this morning to find Caius bossing around any and everyone within earshot. Since I'd first called him a few days after New Year's, we talked almost every workday morning, but seeing him was a different experience entirely. I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed him, or how much we _still _needed him.

Rose and Edward stood waiting for the elevator in the lobby, each looking as tired as I felt.

"I don't care if we hire thirty more people and they all have to sit on each other's laps," Edward said. "We're never doing this again."

"I agree," Rose said. "It's exhausting, on top of all the work we already have."

"Are you okay with Caius being here?" I asked after we stepped onto the elevator.

Edward looked surprised that I'd mentioned his name, but I wasn't going to tap dance around the issue.

"Yes and no," Rose said. "I'm glad to see him because I missed him, and I was worried about him. But he's completely ignoring me, and I hate it."

"I don't know what it means for ATS," Edward said. "I know Carlisle's happy he's here to help us finish moving. But I know my uncle; he doesn't do shit halfway. He didn't come back just for this. I think he wants to come back for good."

"I think so too," Rose said. "The problem is we just restructured the whole company without him. I don't know what's left for him to do."

"I'm sure if I think about it long enough, there's something he could do on my team," I said. "But we'll all need to talk about it with him. I know that's going to be hard for you, Rose. But it has to be done."

We'd reached the garage and said our goodbyes.

Having spent a month now in my new role as COO, I'd developed a certain appreciation for both Rose and Edward. As Rose told me point blank at our lunch, they were the best of friends and it was clear they weren't looking to add anyone to their tiny clique, not even Carlisle. However, we'd all grown to be good colleagues to each other, which was really all that we needed to be.

"I don't even feel like I can make it home," I muttered as I drew upon the last of my energy stores to climb into my car and connect my phone to its Bluetooth system. With it, I could talk while I drove and take calls by pressing a button on the steering wheel. I'd been so busy the last few weeks that I'd finally started making use of the system, with alarming frequency.

I pulled out of the garage at work and made my way home. While I drove, my thoughts drifted back to New Business.

He was currently in Palm Desert, California at a sales retreat with the CEO, the last of his month-long trips. He was due back home tomorrow. He'd picked up a cold recently, so maybe he'd taken some medicine and fallen asleep. Or maybe he'd decided to leave early and that's why he wasn't answering his phone.

I thought about what tomorrow's reunion with New Business would be like and felt a little ashamed of myself for being glad that he was sick. But that meant that he wouldn't be expecting me to have a long night of hot sweaty reunion sex, and for that, I was honestly glad.

"I'm not in the mood for all that right now," I muttered aloud as I shook my head.

Emmett had been just as insanely busy as me these last few weeks and the both of us were simply too tired to be horny. Before he left, we talked about Skyping, video-chatting, and possibly trying our hand at phone sex. In reality, the only sexy thing we'd done on the phone was heavy breathing into each other's ear when one of us invariably fell asleep.

I couldn't wait to see him: I missed seeing his face in the morning and falling asleep in his arms at night. But my schedule the past month had left me without a single ounce of energy, and not even the prospect of his return could energize me right now.

I received a phone call, jarring me from my thoughts.

"Hi, Maggie," I said. "No, I haven't heard from him yet."

"Well I'm getting worried," she said anxiously. "I've been trying to get him since 2:30. He's still not answering and he hasn't called me back. That's just not like him."

"I've got the name of the resort they're staying at written down at home," I said. "I'll call them as soon as I get in, then I'll call you."

"Make sure you do," she said tightly. "And be careful driving. You sound like you're about to pass out. You can't keep going on like this. It's not healthy."

"I know," I said. "But we'll be done with the move tomorrow. Try not to worry about Emmett. Maybe he just took some cold medicine and fell asleep."

"He sounded horrible," she said, her voice laden with worry. "He's never been that sick before. It's all this traveling. He can't keep this up."

"He says the kickoff, the product launch, and the CEO retreat happen every year in January and they're mandatory for sales reps," I said. "He swears he won't be traveling this much every month."

"I hope not," she said. "Thank God it's almost over."

"I know," I replied. "I'm almost home. I'll call you soon."

I appreciated, and understood, Maggie's concern for me and for her son, but she didn't need to tell either one of us that we couldn't keep up the schedule we'd both maintained this past month.

For my part anyway, there was a true end in sight: tomorrow, the last day of the move-renovation-expansion. The chiefs and I decided that we couldn't bring in the new staff until its completion.

"_We barely have enough space now," Carlisle said. "We don't have anywhere to put thirty extra people." _

And then there had been the little matter of Esme's design plans, which she'd drafted before we decided to hire the new employees. She actually came in to the office with Carlisle one morning to talk about the re-design.

"_This changes everything," she said. "On top of all the new people you're hiring, you've acquired the entire eleventh floor now when I'd only planned for half. I've come up with a new layout that I hope you'll be happy with. That's why I'm here."_

She'd put her design plan onto two huge boards and called her contractors who spoke via phone during her presentation. As useless as she was as COO, it couldn't have been more obvious now that Esme possessed a great deal of talent for interior design and space planning. She confirmed that "The ATS Project" would be the first piece for her portfolio. Like Alice had always said she should, Esme planned to open her own design firm after the birth of her son.

"_I know this is a lot," Carlisle said during the meeting, "but do you think it's possible to have everything done by the end of the month?"_

"_Definitely. Money talks," she said unabashedly. _

Carlisle, Edward, and Rose had laughed and laughed. Jake and I hadn't been so amused.

"_Just how much more money are we talking?" Jake asked. "We have a budget for the expansion."_

"_I'll be paying for anything over budget out of my own pocket," Carlisle said quickly. "It'll be well worth it to have the expansion done, and to our liking."_

"_With my connections, and some well-placed dollars, the end of the month is very realistic," Esme said. "I already lined up the team for the structural work upstairs. The biggest challenge will finding enough additional furniture of the same quality in time. But like I said, I have resources. We'll make it happen." _

And so for the last three weeks, we'd lived in something of a work zone in the office. I was hesitant to call it a construction zone; it wasn't like they were tearing down walls or like we had to wear plastic hard hats or anything. But we'd coexisted with Esme's contractors for the whole month, and that had been no easy feat with all of our normal responsibilities. It was especially true in my case, because I'd been interviewing candidates and meeting with various members of my team to define what exactly the sixteen new operations staff members would be doing once they arrived.

"_Esme, do whatever you have to do to get this done by the last weekend in January," Carlisle said as he looked at his desk calendar. "That's the 26th and 27th. I want all the new staff to start on that Monday, the 28th. I won't have this dragging into February."_

"_Consider it done," Esme said with confidence. _

As a result, the other chiefs and I had spent about twelve hours a day in the office during the weeks since Emmett left, and some time every weekend as well.

I'd talked to New Business several times each day since he'd been gone, and he was equally busy and stressed as he learned more about Summit-Meyer at the mandatory sales events and actively worked to land more clients on his sales visits.

We'd both made it very clear to each other: something had to give. We _wouldn't _allow these jobs to tear us apart.

* * *

"I'm home, Maggie," I said as I shut the door to the guest bedroom. "Emmett's here. He's fast asleep."

"What? Why didn't he call us?" she shrieked.

"Apparently, he has the flu," I said. "His skin is burning up. I don't know how he made it home."

"Oh my God," she said, sounding panicked. "I knew something was wrong. Call an ambulance and ..."

"He's already been to the hospital," I said. "He tried to leave a note but I can barely read it. I found a prescription bag with a box of Tamiflu inside; it was filled in California. I think he finished as much work as he could, went to the hospital, and then cut his trip short."

"I'm coming over," she said. I could hear her rustling about at her house.

"I don't think you need to come tonight," I said. "He took some of the medicine and he's asleep."

"But..."

"One of our neighbors is a nurse at Harborview," I said as I rubbed my tired eyes. "I already called her. She said that it just has to run its course and that if he took the medicine, I should leave him be since he managed to fall asleep. She said I should wipe him down with cool water and that's what I'm about to do, and give him lots of fluids when he wakes up. The instructions with his prescription said the same thing, and I've been looking on that government flu website and they said most of the same things she told me."

"And he's definitely breathing?" she asked, practically in tears.

"Definitely," I said. "Maggie, I'd call an ambulance in a heartbeat if I thought it would help, but I just don't see the point of him going to the hospital again when he's actually resting right now. Especially since they didn't keep him wherever he went in the first place."

"Fine," she said, "but I'll be there tomorrow. He must be_ really_ sick if he went to a hospital."

"I hope you do come tomorrow," I said. "I'll need help with him."

"I'll be there first thing," she said. "Promise me you'll call me if he gets worse. I don't care what time it is."

"I promise," I replied.

"I'll see you in the morning," she said. "You sound exhausted yourself. Get some rest."

"I plan to," I said.

However, before I could go to bed, I wanted to give Emmett a sponge bath like I'd promised Lindsey, our neighbor. I ran a sink full of cool water, wet several washcloths, and used them to quickly wipe down New Business's sweaty skin. He shivered so violently when I first touched him that I almost did call an ambulance, but he didn't so much as stir after that.

Finally, at nearly midnight, I climbed into bed beside him. I probably shouldn't have slept so close to him, but I figured I was bound to get whatever he had eventually, and I wanted to be near in case he woke up. Before I closed my eyes, I did something I didn't often do.

I prayed.

"Lord, please give me strength over the next few days," I said. "I think I'm gonna need all that you can spare."

* * *

**Sunday, January 27, 2013**

"Swan, you truly look like shit," I said to my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I prepared to leave for the store on Sunday morning.

I barely recognized the woman who looked back at me: she had dry chapped lips, lank hair, and gaunt cheeks. The fact that I'd allowed myself to look like this truly disgusted me. Yes, some things in my life definitely needed to change. After applying as much Chapstick as I could stand, I finished dressing and attempted to leave the apartment.

"I'm sorry but you can't possibly think you're going to work today," Maggie said sternly, blocking my way into the living room.

"I'm not going to work," I said, amused by her defiant stance. "But I am going to the store. I left a message for my doctor on her emergency line last night. I told her that Emmett had the flu and I asked her if I should take something too."

"Of course you need to take something," Maggie said. "Especially if you didn't have a flu shot."

My mother was very anti-vaccinations and always had been, so I'd never given much thought to getting a flu shot, but now was not the time for that discussion with Maggie.

"I didn't get one," I said. "But my doctor just called me back. She says I need to take the same thing they prescribed for Emmett, Tamiflu, to keep from coming down with it. She said I need to take it right away and she called in a prescription. I'm going to pick it up now."

"She's not even going to see you?" Maggie asked, looking appalled. "What kind of..."

"I just saw her a few weeks ago for a check-up," I said calmly. "I'm perfectly fine, other than possibly catching whatever it is that Emmett has. She said it's important that I take the medicine very soon to keep from getting as sick as he is; she even told me to take one of his capsules until I pick mine up but I don't want to do that. I really do need to get that prescription. So can I go now?"

"All right," Maggie said warily, "but if you're not back in an hour, I'll send Harry to get you. So don't accidentally end up at work."

"Yes, ma'am," I said with a smile that seemed to appease her. "What else do we need since I'm going out?"

"A few things, actually," she said as she grabbed a list she'd been making herself.

"Lysol spray, Lysol wipes, Tide, and Gatorade," I said, reading the list aloud. "Anything else?"

"Beef broth and apple juice," she said after she thought for a few more seconds. "And saltine crackers. That should do it. Oh, some bed pads too. They'll be with the Depends. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes," I replied. "We had to use them when Grandpa Swan got sick."

"Good. One hour, or I'm calling Harry," she said, narrowing her eyes at me.

"I'll be back," I said. "I'm definitely not going to work."

Maggie had arrived at 6:30 this morning with so much stuff that I had to help her get it all out of the car. Well, I helped her_ after _she practically knocked me over in her haste to check on her son.

"_Has he woken up at all?" she asked. _

"_Yes," I said. "Every few hours, he's been waking up having coughing fits. That's the only reason I'm up right now. He just got back to sleep after the last one."_

"_Has he said anything?" she asked. _

"_He's been mumbling," I replied, "but nothing I could really understand." _

_She seemed much more at ease as she watched him sleep, though she did become startled when she placed her hand on his forehead. _

"_He's still very warm," she said. _

"_He feels cooler to me than he did last night," I said. "I've been wiping him with the cool cloths each time he wakes up. It seems to be helping a little bit."_

That seemed to calm her, and we set about the task of unloading her car. It was quite clear that she planned to stay for a while. She'd brought a huge bag of yarn for her knitting, several sets of extra sheets and a quilt, a rolling suitcase that I assumed had her clothes and toiletries, and a box filled with cooking supplies and foods that she liked, like a giant box of Cheez-Its.

"_He's never been this sick before," she said, "I figure I'll be here all week. I know it's your house, so I won't try to take over."_

I could tell that she thought I'd balk at her staying so long, but I couldn't have been happier and I told her so.

"_I'm glad you're able to stay," I said. "As worn out as I am from the past month at work, there's no way I can take care of him by myself right now. Stay as long as you want; I mean it."_

"_I didn't want to make you feel bad, but now that you mention it, you look terrible," she said, frowning as she looked me up and down. _

"_Gee, thanks," I said with a chuckle as we carried in her bags._

* * *

I returned home within the hour, and my mouth began to water when I stepped inside of the apartment. Maggie was making breakfast for us and I couldn't wait to dive into it; I hadn't had time to cook this past month.

"You sit right here and eat, young lady," she said as I put everything away. "I want to see you take that medicine too."

I washed my hands, then opened the packet and took a capsule when she set a glass of water in front of me.

"Good," she said with a nod before setting a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of me. "You're wasting away. Gianna didn't tell me you looked this bad; I'll be having a word with her."

"Don't be mad at her," I said after I swallowed my first mouthful of delicious pancakes. "Gianna makes sure I eat lunch every day, and Alice usually brings in bagels and coffee for us in the morning. Carlisle or Rose always call in a dinner order for us too. I'm definitely eating."

"Then how are you losing all this weight?" she asked dubiously. "You look like you've lost about ten pounds since we went to the Cheesecake Factory, and you didn't need to lose a pound. You were fine like you were."

"It's all the walking," I said after I took another huge bite of food. "Our floor at work is really long, and now we have the same thing upstairs. The other chiefs have lost weight too. We've spent about half of every day, for the last three weeks, walking the whole floors, going up and down the stairs, adjusting the layout, figuring out what needs to go where."

"I don't understand why you keep having all this weekend work," Maggie said. "That's what I keep asking Gianna. She doesn't mind because she's getting overtime, but I just don't understand it."

"We've been doing our regular work during the week," I said, "and at night and on the weekends, we've been trying to get our areas set up, but it's been hard because not all of the furniture came in at the same time. Then, we've had movers and contractors all over the place and we've been trying to make sure all our boxes and files and everything else end up where they're supposed to. It's been a controlled mess."

"But you're almost done?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied after I gulped down more food. "Today's the last day of the move. All the cubicles and offices are up and arranged now. I was going to clean out some boxes we found in storage and make sure everything's in place, but I'll just call in and talk to my team. I don't want everybody to get sick from me if I'm carrying these superflu germs now."

"That's the perfect name for it. The Super Flu," Maggie said. "Em's a big, strong, healthy guy. That boy hardly ever even gets the sniffles. This must be _some_ nasty bug to have him knocked out like that."

I nodded in agreement as I reached for more pancakes.

"I'm glad you're too tired to put up a fight," she said as I laughed. "Emily and Harry were worried you wouldn't want me over here."

"Maybe I am too tired," I said as she smiled, "but I'm really glad you're here. You're exactly right: he's a big guy. I could cook for him, but I won't be able to move him around and help him stand up and stuff by myself. You and I together still might need help with him."

"Harry and Liam both said to call them if we need to for that very reason," Maggie said.

"I hate that he flew home in this condition, and he probably shouldn't have been flying like that," I said. "But I can't lie. I'm glad he made it home."

"I am too," she said. "I'd hate to think of him sick like this in a strange bed, away from us."

"Will Emily and the boys be okay at the house by themselves?" I asked. "Maybe they can stay with Liam and Gianna."

"They're already over at Brett and Mary's," she said with a warm smile. "Emily doesn't like being home by herself. It does get a little eerie there, even I think so. She called Brett last night and he came right over and got them. Harry already took Champ too; he's leaving him with his daughter until I get back."

"Do you ever think about moving?" I asked. "I know it's your home, but I have to think you have some not-so-great memories there."

She finished chewing her food before she spoke. "I've been thinking about it more and more," she said. "Harry's asked me to move in with him."

"Where does he live?" I asked, surprised by this news.

"Just a few blocks from here," she said with a grin. "How do you think he's always able to pop up over here so quickly?"

"I hadn't given it much thought actually," I said as she laughed.

"His place would be perfect for us," she said. "It's a rancher, all on one level, which is good for our knees, let me tell you."

"What's made you think about it more recently?" I asked.

"In those therapy sessions, talking and listening to Emily and Liam, I realize we have a lot of memories, not-so-good ones like you said, tied to that house and that neighborhood," she said a little sadly. "I used to feel like I'd be hurting my husband's memory if we moved. But now, I think he'd want us to be happy."

"I didn't know him, but I think so too," I said.

"I think I was also worried about keeping the house for the kids," she said. "We've needed all that space with Emily and the boys back, and with Em living there."

"But Emily and the kids won't be there much longer," I said.

"No they won't," she said. "Their new place will probably be ready by the end of February."

"So they got the house?" I asked excitedly. "Last I heard, they found one they liked but somebody put in a higher bid."

"They didn't get that one," she said. "They found another one, right down the street from Mary and Angie's elementary school. Emily doesn't want to say anything until it passes inspection and everything's finalized, but it looks like a done deal."

"I'm so happy," I said with a genuine smile.

"I am too," she said. "The boys will have their own rooms, and there's space if Brett and Emily have kids of their own. You never know."

"So there's really no reason for you to keep that big house, is there?" I asked.

"No," she said. "Not when they leave. I think it's pretty telling that Em came here last night, instead of coming to us. I think he feels like this is his home now."

"Maybe," I said. "But if he knew how sick he was, maybe he didn't want to put the kids at risk."

"That's true," she said. "I think what I said is also true though. His home is with you now, and that hurt me at first, but I'm okay with it now that I know you so much better."

Her words touched me and we shared a smile as we finished breakfast. I was itching to go back to sleep now that she was here to help with Emmett, but I helped clean the kitchen and then I called Carlisle. I should've known he'd already heard.

"Gianna told us not to expect you," he said. "I sent you an e-mail and I called you to tell you not to worry about coming in."

"Sorry," I said. "I haven't checked any messages yet."

"I understand," he said. "Emmett's always been so healthy. If he's been taken down, then the flu strain must be very severe. Please stay at home for a few days now that you've been exposed. We'll miss you, but we can call and e-mail you."

"That works fine for me," I said. "If you could let everyone know, I'd appreciate it. I'm not sure when I'll be in touch. I think the next few days will be pretty rough."

"I'll tell your whole team as soon as we hang up," he said. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Carlisle, and good luck with Caius," I said. He laughed before he ended the call.

Maggie was talking to Emily or Liam, or possibly both, giving them an update on their brother. I decided to check on him before taking the nap I so longed for.

Of course, because I wanted to go to sleep, he was wide awake. He looked tired, lost, and confused as he slowly moved his head to look around the room.

"He lives," I said quietly as I climbed onto the bed beside him and lightly ran my fingers through his damp hair. He tried to smile at me, but even that small movement seemed to cause him pain.

"Are you thirsty?" I asked. "Do you think you could drink some water or Gatorade?"

He nodded and I left the room to get a bottle of each and some straws. Maggie noticed and immediately pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Is he awake?" she asked eagerly.

"He is," I replied.

"He's up," she yelled into the phone. "I'll call you back."

Maggie followed me into the room, and Emmett frowned when he saw her.

"Don't want her... get this... kids," he said in a gravelly voice between coughs.

I wanted to cry at the sight of New Business - - all 6'4", 220 or so pounds of him - - in this state. Maggie must have felt the same way because her voice shook as she replied to him.

"I got a flu shot," she said to him. "Don't worry about me."

He mumbled incoherently before I heard a word I did understand.

"Pee," he croaked as he rolled onto his side, away from his mother.

I hastily pulled back the covers and grabbed the empty juice bottle I'd put in the room last night for this very purpose. I tried to help him pull his shorts down but he seemed determined to do it himself, no matter how much he grimaced and winced from the strain of the effort. When he managed to free himself, I held the bottle as he relieved himself.

I tried not to look disgusted when some of it got on me. I could already tell this was only the beginning of what we'd be in for until his body rid itself of the virus.

"I'll empty that," Maggie said as I gratefully handed her the bottle and Emmett tucked himself back into his shorts.

He tried to sit up against the pillows but kept slumping over sideways, and every now and then, I could see his body shaking involuntarily. It hurt to see him like this, but I'd prayed for strength, so strong I would be.

"I think it's time to take your medicine again," I said as I squirted hand sanitizer into my palm and rubbed my hands together.

He nodded weakly.

"Give him two of these too," Maggie said as she handed me a bottle of Advil.

I put the straw into one of the water bottles and let him drink a little first. He downed almost half the bottle before I pulled the straw away. He kept trying to reach for the pills in my hand, but was either too dazed or too weak to do so. I placed the pills in his mouth one by one, then put the straw back in; he managed to swallow them all as he sucked down the rest of the water.

"Do you want a little Gatorade too?" I asked. Again, he nodded and drank a good portion of it.

"Do you think you can eat something?" Maggie asked. "Maybe some broth?"

He shook his head then grimaced again before slumping back against the pillows.

"Well, at least he's drinking good," Maggie said. "I think we better get some of those bed pads under him while he's up, and give him a sponge bath to cool him off."

Between the two of us, we were able to get him to roll around enough to give him a fairly decent sponge bath, change the sheets, and place the disposable bed pads under him. By the time we'd finished, he'd fallen right back to sleep.

"Yeah, I'm really glad you're here," I said to Maggie who was already balling up the sheets to take to the washer.

"I'm glad you're here too," she said as she wiped her brow. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

The day passed quickly in much the same way. Every few hours, he'd wake up, cough, and pee, then drink water, juice, or Gatorade. We helped him each time, very pleased by the tiny improvements we noticed.

"He didn't cough near as much that time," Maggie said.

"And his skin is nowhere near as hot as it was," I said.

"Am... hot," New Business said with as much of a grin as he could muster.

"Only you could try to be cocky when the flu has you knocked on your ass," I said, though I couldn't help the joy that his little joke had given me. If he was making jokes, or trying to, then he was definitely on the mend.

He'd quickly fallen asleep again, and as I tidied the room, his phone began to ring.

"I've been wondering where his phone was," Maggie said.

"I can hear it but I don't see it," I said as I looked around. I finally found it: on the floor under the chair in the corner.

"It looks like he got it plugged in, but dropped it and was too weak to pick it up," Maggie said.

"I probably shouldn't, but I'm going to answer this. It might be his boss," I said as I took the call.

"Hello? This is Bella," I said.

"Finally," said the person on the line. "Hi, Bella. It's Ryan."

"Hi, Ryan," I replied. "Hold on a sec."

Maggie looked ready to snatch the phone away if I hadn't stopped to tell her who it was.

"It's Ryan, one of the other sales reps," I said. "His closest friend at work."

"Find out what happened," Maggie demanded as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I will," I said.

"I heard all that," Ryan said as I laughed. "I'll tell you exactly what happened. He was sick from the time we got to the retreat on Friday. Nobody thought much of it because a couple of the other reps had colds too."

"Did you take him to the hospital there?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "After the last session yesterday, he looked like he might faint or something. He'd been too quiet all day. I knew something was wrong."

I repeated all of that to Maggie who looked ready to pounce on me. I would've put Ryan on speaker but I didn't want to wake Emmett.

"At the hospital, they said right away that he had the flu," Ryan said, "and they talked about how some really nasty strain was going around. They prescribed Tamiflu for him, and me too. They told him to go back to the hotel and ride it out. We got the prescriptions filled and went back."

Again, I repeated that for Maggie.

"I swear, Bella, I didn't know he was leaving," he said. "I got him back to his room and when I left he said he would take a shower and go to bed. All of us reps were supposed to have a big dinner with the CEO, but Emmett said he didn't think he felt up to that. I told him to get some rest and I'd check on him in the morning."

I repeated that for Maggie.

"I bet I can finish the story," I said as I glared at my hard-headed boyfriend. "He checked out of the hotel, without telling anybody, left for the airport, and paid his own fare back here before anybody realized he was gone."

"Bingo," he said with a dark chuckle. "The only thing you forgot was the e-mail he sent us after he was already gone saying that he felt awful and was going home. One of the other reps who was sick was so bad off she got _admitted_ to the hospital; that's when we realized he might be that sick too. But we couldn't reach him, and Dave said that you're his emergency contact, but your information was in HR and we wouldn't be able to get it until Monday."

"I'm really sorry I haven't called," I said after I repeated that last bit for Maggie. "He was here when I got home last night, knocked out asleep. Every now and then he wakes up coughing and we've been trying to take care of him. We haven't had time to think about calling. We only just found his phone."

"I'm just glad he made it home in one piece," Ryan said, sounding very relieved. "It looks like he tried to send me a text last night but I couldn't make sense of it. Everybody's kind of pissed at me for leaving him in the room by himself but..."

"It wasn't your fault," I said. "He's stubborn as a mule, and he was apparently determined to get home. Let me give you my number right now and if Dave or anybody wants to call me, they can. I'm turning his phone off after this."

He gave me his number and Dave's; I wrote them down and gave him mine.

"Thank you for getting him to the hospital," I said. "Whatever they gave him is helping. He's getting better. My doctor prescribed some for me too."

"Good," he said. "You don't want to catch this. It's bad."

I turned to Maggie as soon as I ended the call.

"I'm calling his boss right now," I said. "I don't think he'll be able to go to work this week at all. We'll have to get a doctor's note or something."

"I'll call Dr. Snow," she said as she stood up, presumably to get her phone. "I meant to do that anyway."

"Maybe you should wait until tomorrow," I said. "It's Sunday."

"We've been going to him for years," she said, looking slightly offended. "I'm friends with his wife at church. He'll answer for me."

She left to call him, while I called New Business's boss, Dave.

"Thanks for calling," he said. "I figured I wouldn't see him this week. A couple of the other reps have the bug too, and whatever it is, it's_ nasty._ We were just hoping he'd made it home. I'd planned to call you tomorrow."

"I know. I just talked to Ryan," I said. "We'll get a doctor's note to you soon."

"That'll be fine," he said. "Emmett gave me a status report on Friday. I'll get in touch with his accounts and let them know that he won't be available this week. When he wakes up, tell him I said not to worry. I'll have them all looking over the catalog."

"I'm sure he'll understand what that means," I said as he laughed. "I'll tell him. One last thing, if you need him, call me. I'm turning his phone off. Here's my number."

I almost jumped out of my skin when I ended the call and looked down at New Business, whom I _thought _was sleeping. He was awake again, watching me with an intensity that seriously creeped me out. He tried to reach his hand up to touch me but he was too weak, and instead his arm fell limply back onto the bed.

"Do you need something?" I asked as I gingerly stroked his cheek.

"You," he croaked, never taking his eyes off of me.

"I'm right here," I said as I leaned down and kissed his forehead. "You got me. I love you."

"Miss... you," he whispered as he tried to reach for me again.

"I missed you too," I said as I held his hand. "Even though you're a stubborn hardhead for traveling while you were this sick, I'm glad you came back home."

He smiled weakly and in seconds fell right back to sleep. Of course, I almost started crying because those few little croaked-out words meant the world to me. I felt sorry for all the people he may have infected on his way back home yesterday, but I couldn't have been more pleased that he'd raced back... for me.

* * *

At 7:30, after New Business's most recent cough-wake up-pee-drink-sleep cycle, Maggie and I finally sat down to dinner.

"You're not going to work tomorrow, are you?" she asked warily as we ate.

"No," I said. "I can't leave him like this, and I don't want to make everybody else sick if I've got the virus now too. I'll call them and e-mail them. We'll manage."

"Good," she said, looking relieved. "He's worse off than I thought he'd be and I can't do it by myself. Emily said she'd help if we need her, but she needs to look after the boys. Liam said he'd take off work if I need him to, but with his temper, that would be a disaster."

"I'm sure Gianna would too if we asked," I said with a smile. "But we need her at work. I don't know, maybe I should've called an ambulance for him last night. Maybe he _should_ be in the hospital."

"I don't think they'd have kept him," Maggie said. "I'm glad you didn't, even though I was upset last night. Dean was in and out of hospitals toward the end, and I'd rather not deal with them again unless I have to."

"I can understand that," I said quietly as we finished our meal. Maggie _rarely_ talked about what had happened with her husband. I wanted to press her to say more, but she looked pained by the memories of what she'd just said, so I changed the subject.

"Were you able to talk to your doctor?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "He wants to see him Wednesday morning."

"Let's hope he can make it," I said.

Based on the state New Business was currently in, I had a hard time believing he'd be up and walking by Wednesday morning. I hoped I'd be proven wrong, but I didn't think I would be.

After we ate dinner, Maggie settled in to the master bedroom which I'd asked her to take while she stayed here. I thought she'd protest, but she didn't.

"Thanks," she said. "I don't think my back would do too well on that sofabed."

While she unpacked her things and put them in the spaces I made for her in the closet and dresser, I did something I'd been dreading: I called my parents. Like I knew they would be, they were in attack mode.

"You sound like death warmed over yourself, and now he's sick too," Renée said angrily. "You're not taking care of yourself at all, and I don't like it one bit. You and Emmett both need to take a hard look at those jobs. If it's going to be like this all the time, maybe you don't need them."

Charlie had been even angrier.

"Neither one of you will be any good to anybody dead," he said pointedly. "You sound terrible, and every time I talk to you you're half asleep. Do you know how many accidents I see out here on the roads because people fell asleep at the wheel? Emmett probably only got this sick because he's so run down from all that traveling. You two need to make some changes, and fast."

I'd listened, but I didn't need lectures and I didn't need to be scolded. What I needed was sleep. I'd just spread out a blanket and pillows on the sectional when there was a knock at the door.

"Hi, Kevin," I said, surprised, when I opened it. "I'm not sure if you want to come in..."

"I heard about Emmett," he said with a chuckle as he stepped inside. "Linds told me. She sent me over to check on him."

"Are you a nurse too?" I asked as I looked at the scrubs he was wearing. "I didn't know."

"I am," he replied. "That's how we met."

Lindsey was the neighbor I'd mentioned to Maggie; Kevin was her boyfriend. I actually met them because of Emmett. Kevin was a gym rat too and they'd struck up a conversation one day in the parking lot. I rarely saw him, but I saw Lindsey often because we left for work in the morning around the same time. We'd all exchanged phone numbers, saying we needed to hang out, but all of us were always too busy.

"These are for you, from us," he said as he handed me a bag. Maggie came out of the bedroom before I had a chance to open it.

"Hello," she said as she walked up to Kevin. I _thought_ I saw her bat her eyelashes a bit.

"Hi," he replied with a grin.

"Maggie, this is our neighbor, Kevin," I said. "Kevin, this is Emmett's mom, Maggie."

They nodded and smiled at each other. "Lindsey is the nurse I told you about. Kevin's her boyfriend. They live across the hall."

"Where's the patient?" he asked eagerly.

I led him to the bedroom where he peeked in on the sleeping form of New Business. He fired off a series of questions about his temperature and what he'd been doing as we returned to the living room.

"You're doing everything you should," he said before he pointed to the bag which I'd set on the table. "I brought you some gloves and masks. You'll be needing those soon because trust me, what's going on inside of him will be making its way _outside _pretty soon."

"You seem a little too happy about that," I said as he and Maggie cracked up laughing.

"I'm used to what's about to happen," he said with a chuckle. "You're not. Just remember that you love him because it's about to get_ foul _once he starts eating again."

"Thanks for the warning," I said. "I appreciate you checking on him. Tell Lindsey I said 'thanks' too."

"I will," he said. "Tell the big guy to get better so we can go lifting soon."

With a wave, he left.

"What a_ hunk_," Maggie said dreamily as she collapsed onto the sectional.

"You should see Lindsey," I said with a grin. "No matter when I see her, it's like her makeup's perfect and there's not a hair out of place. The two of them together are perfect. It's sickening."

She laughed, then yawned.

"I don't know about you, but I think I'm turning in a little early," she said. "We're only in the calm before the storm, and I'm already tired."

"Me too," I said. "See you in the morning, or whenever he wakes up next."

I felt like there were so many people I should call - - Angie, Gianna, Alice, Jasper, Logan - - but once I laid down, I couldn't actually make myself get up to get my phone.

Instead, I fell asleep with _thoughts _of calling my friends on my mind.

* * *

**Monday, January 28, 2013**

I woke up at 5:00 a.m., but not because of Emmett. That was the time I'd been waking up to get ready for work the past few weeks. My body had clearly become conditioned.

"No point going back to sleep," I muttered as I made my way to the bathroom. When I washed my hands and stepped into the hallway, I could hear Maggie stirring in the master bedroom, so I decided to wait to shower and change until she was finished.

I peeked in on Emmett, who'd apparently slept through the night. He was sprawled across the bed and had kicked the covers completely onto the floor. It took energy to move around that much, and yesterday he'd barely been able to raise his arm.

"He's getting better," I said aloud as I grinned.

Back in the living room, while I waited for Maggie, I decided to log-in and e-mail Carlisle and my team to make my extended absence 'official'.

**Monday, January 28, 2013, 5:22 AM  
To: **Executive Team, Operations Team  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **This Week - Working from Home

Hi, all. In case you haven't heard, I've been exposed to a particularly strong strain of the flu. Although I feel fine and am not exhibiting any symptoms so far, I am possibly contagious and am taking prescribed medication.

For the safety of everyone, I will not be in the office until Thursday at the earliest, and I may be out all week. I will be checking e-mail (and my phone) regularly, so call me or send a message if you need me. I'm helping care for the person who does have the flu, so I may not respond immediately. However, please be assured that I will respond as soon as I can.

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you for your hard work in preparing the operations area during the move-expansion. I look forward to seeing you all when I return.

**~ * NBG * ~**

With so many new staff, the chiefs and I had decided to do one massive orientation session with all of them today. I was truly sorry that I would miss it; we'd probably never have another one quite so large again. I was supposed to speak to the group at several points throughout the day, but now I couldn't. Instead, I'd have to rely on the team. I'd already prepared an agenda for the new hires, so I made some tweaks to it, then sent another message.

**Monday, January 28, 2013, 5:57 AM  
To: **Operations Team  
**CC: **Carlisle Cullen  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **New Hires and Orientation

Good morning, all. Forgive me for sending this as one e-mail instead of separate messages, but I'm a little short on time. I had tasks planned for orientation that I'm now asking some of you to perform in my absence.

1. **Alice:** Please print the attached memo and agenda and make sure that each new hire receives a copy. Also, as discussed, please assist Gianna with meeting services all day to ensure that all meeting rooms are set up and cleared on schedule.

2. **Chelsea:** Please have the new hires for our team wait in the lobby upon arrival. Please call or page their supervisors (listed here) who will then lead them to their desks:

***Call Peter** for new hires Ayame Nakamo (Conference Marketing Associate), Greg Cohn (Conference Marketing Associate), and Carol Ballard (Conference Marketing Admin).  
***Call Jared** for new hires Larissa Martin (Copywriter), Denise Wasserly (Graphic Designer), Vajra Patel (Website and Promotions Admin), and Hanh Phan (Marketing Intern).  
***Call Logan** for new hires Nick Eily (Operations Admin), Felice De Campo (Floating Admin), and Jackie Petridis (11th Floor Receptionist).  
***Call Jasper** for new hires Nora Stinson (HR Admin), Francesca Taub (HR Associate), and Sharita Williams (HR Intern).  
***Call Sam** for new hire Janna Grekov (Legal Intern).

3. **Tucker and Ricky:** Even though you've lasted an entire week with us and are thus seasoned veterans, for today, you are considered new hires. Please attend all orientation sessions. The chiefs are aware that you will be unavailable all day. Chelsea will be handling the mail and packages, time permitting.

4. **Everyone:** Please make sure the new hires are all assembled in the HR reception area at 8:30 for the tour of our area. The tour will end in the main conference room which Gianna will set up with a breakfast tray (fruits, bagels, croissants, donuts) and drinks (juice/water/coffee). Lunch will be provided for them too. So if your new hires start asking for the vending machines, tell them the food's on us today.

5. **Everyone: **Pursuant to #4 above, please try to be in your seat, at your desk, between 8:30 and 9, so that the group will see you when Logan brings them around. There won't be time for lengthy intros; these will be of the drive-by variety.

6. **Logan:** Please lead the "Meet the Operations" session in my absence. See the agenda for the topics I'd planned to discuss. I'll call you soon.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'll call or e-mail separately if I think of anything else.

**~ * NBG * ~**

Good morning, new operations team interns and associates!

Unfortunately, I will not be in to greet you today and will be out of the office for most of this week.

Your direct supervisors and I have spent a great deal of time in recent weeks outlining your job duties and responsibilities. Tomorrow, they will be going over them with you in detail.

Today, however, you'll be spending your time in several orientation sessions with new associates from the finance, sales, and information technology (I.T.) teams. Attached is your orientation schedule.

Enjoy your first day with us, and I'll see you when I return.

Sincerely,

_**Bella Swan  
**_**Chief Operating Officer,  
Aro Technology Solutions**

**~ * NBG * ~**

_**ARO TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS (ATS)**_  
**Operations Team: New Employee/Intern Orientation Agenda  
Monday, January 28, 2013**

**8:30-9:00  
*Meet the Operations Team. **Tour of operations area with Logan Messera, _Operations Manager_. Introduction to team members.

**9:00-9:45 (Main Conference Room, 10th Floor)  
*Operations Welcome 'Breakfast'** with Logan and operations group leaders. Overview of team: human resources, marketing, legal, and general administration groups. New hire introductions.

**10:00-11:00 (Executive Conference Room, 11th Floor)  
*Meet the Executive Team** with Carlisle Cullen, _Chief Executive Officer_; Rose Hale, _Chief Information Officer_; Jake Black, _Chief Financial Officer_; and Edward Masen, _Chief Sales Officer._  
***ATS Overview:** History, Mission, Goals.  
***New Hire Introductions.**

**11:00-12:00 (10th and 11th Floors)  
*ATS Tour** with Carlisle and the Executive Team.

**12:00-1:00 (Executive Conference Room, 11th Floor)  
*Lunch **with the Executive Team.

**1:00-2:00 (Main Conference Room, 10th Floor)  
*Human Resources (HR) Essentials **with Jasper Whitlock, _HR Director_ and Bree Chandler, _HR Associate_. Employee handbook and code of conduct. Timekeeping. Review process and grounds for warnings/dismissals. Emergency contact forms.

**2:00-3:15 (Main Conference Room, 10th Floor)  
*Session: Responsible Equipment Use.** Led by Rose Hale. Guidelines for proper and appropriate use of ATS software, computers, and phones.  
***Session: Sexual Harassment.** Led by TrainTeam Consulting.  
***Session:** **Workplace Safety. **Led by TrainTeam Consulting.

**3:15-3:30 BREAK**

**3:30-4:30  
(Main Conference Room, 10th Floor)  
*Full-Time Associates: HR Procedures.** Led by Jasper and Bree. Tax forms. Pay schedule. Personal and sick leave accrual and policies. Holiday schedule. Benefits overview.

**(Conference Room 3, 10th Floor)  
*Interns: Procedures for Interns.** Led by Logan. ATS and college/university contacts. Scheduling. Review and signature process. Stipend paperwork and payment schedule.

**~ * NBG * ~**

With all messages sent, I decided to call Gianna. It was just 6:15, but I knew she'd be up preparing to leave to meet Lizzie to ride in to work. She answered on the first ring.

"It's taken everything I have not to call you," she said. "But it's been hard, really hard."

"I appreciate your restraint," I said as she laughed. "Maggie and I are already tired and the worst hasn't even started yet."

"What _happened_?" she asked. "I've only heard bits and pieces. And just so you know, I'm putting you on speaker because Liam and Kim are hanging on my every word right now. Even Biscuit and Midnight's ears perked up when I saw it was you and screamed out your name."

I cracked up laughing and spoke to all of them, even the pets. Then, I gave a quick recap of everything that had happened since I'd come home to find Emmett here Saturday night.

"Ma didn't tell me half that stuff," Liam grumbled at one point, but I pressed on.

"Me and Henry were really worried cuz Uncle Em never gets sick," Kim said when I finished. "We looked up stuff online that he might have."

"And I told them to shut the hell up and get off the computer when they decided he had malaria," said Liam as I fell sideways laughing.

"You should see Austin," Gianna said. "Poor thing is so sad. He keeps asking for 'Uncle Emmy'."

"We'll let him call you guys when he's up and talking," I said. "But he's not able to talk much yet."

"If you need me, just call and I'm there," Liam said seriously. "Ma keeps saying don't come over but..."

"You really shouldn't," I said. "It's hard seeing him like this when he's usually so healthy. He has no energy at all, and he's not doing much but sleeping. He's drinking tons of water and Gatorade, so that's a good sign. And he did sleep through the night last night, which he didn't do Saturday night."

"Don't you worry about a thing at work," Gianna said.

"Let us know what's going on," Liam said.

"Tell Uncle Em I said 'I love him'," Kim said.

I said my goodbyes, feeling very glad that I'd called them. I decided to call Emily too. Just like Gianna, she answered right away.

"I'm so glad you called," she said anxiously. "Mom won't tell me much."

"There's not much to tell," I said.

"I'm putting you on speaker," she said, again just like Gianna. "We're all having breakfast and everyone wants to hear."

I repeated most of what I'd told the others, and I could hear Brett, his parents, and the boys making comments every now and again in the background.

"Why he get sick?" asked Austin sadly.

"He got sick from other people," I said.

"I don't like dat people," he said angrily as the others chuckled.

"You and Maggie hang in there, Bella," said Waylon. "Emily and the boys can stay here as long as they need to. We have plenty of room."

"Let us know if you need_ anything_," Mary said.

"Tell Em I love him," Emily said. "When he wakes up anyway."

"Me too," said Henry. "I don't want him to die."

"He's not going to die," I said. "Not from this. Me and Grammy are taking good care of him."

"We mean it, Bella," Brett said. "If you need us for _anything_, just call. Groceries or whatever. We're happy to help."

"Thanks," I said. "We'll call when we can."

When I ended the call with them, it was about 6:45 and before I could decide what to do next, I received a surprising call from Carlisle.

"Bella, I'm here with the exec team," he said.

"You guys are there early," I said.

"Big day," he said a little nervously. "Uh, listen, I forwarded your operations e-mail to Rose, Edward, and Jake, and..."

"We didn't know you were giving your team breakfast," Edward said with major attitude.

"It'll look bad on us if we don't do it for our groups," Rose said tightly.

"I didn't know I needed anybody's permission to welcome my own group," I said with more attitude than both of them combined. They had some fucking nerve.

"I hadn't even planned to meet with my group before all the new hires get together for the big meeting at ten with Carlisle," Edward said, wisely adjusting his tone down a notch.

"Maybe that's why you've had a revolving door of employees for the last three years," I said nastily.

"That really wasn't called for Bella," said Rose, immediately rushing to her cousin's defense.

"Maybe not, but it's the truth," Jake said with a laugh, not fazed by their haughtiness. "I only have three new hires and I planned a welcome session for them in my team. I brought in a box of donuts, Carmen's bringing in a big bowl of mixed fruit, Karen's bringing bagels, and Ben's bringing coffee. Shelly even planned some icebreakers so we can get to know them better before the big meeting at ten. It's common courtesy to welcome people when you know you're going to be working closely with them, especially when there's a group of new people."

"Thank you, Jake," I said. "I'm glad someone understands that I wasn't trying to show off."

"Well, I didn't plan anything either," Rose whined. "That doesn't mean I don't care about my team. I..."

She was about to say something else but Carlisle quickly cut her off.

"Let's do this," he said abruptly. "You have four new hires Rose, and Edward has seven. That's a sizeable group. Why don't you put them all together in the large conference room in I.T. from nine to ten. Then, they can meet each other, and you and Edward can officially introduce yourselves to them, and talk briefly about sales and I.T."

"That's a great idea," I said. "It makes sense because sales and I.T. work so close together anyway."

"If there's time, you can take them on a tour of your areas," Carlisle said. "Or let them talk amongst themselves for a while. Bella, could you call Gianna and ask if we can have another delivery of what you ordered for breakfast for your group?"

"I'll call her now, and I'll call you back," I said.

"Thank you," Carlisle said.

I quickly called Gianna who was in Lizzie's car on the way in to the office.

"It won't be a problem," she said. "Lou and Dottie, the caterers, are great. They like all the business they get from us, so they'll make it happen. I'll call them as soon as I get in."

I waited until Gianna arrived in the office and talked to the caterers before I called Carlisle back.

"Thanks again, Bella," he said. "Have Gianna charge the extra order to the sales account. Edward's agreed to pay for it out of his budget."

"I'll tell her," I said as I typed up an e-mail to her and copied Edward.

"One last thing," he said. "The others have left, but I wanted to thank you for putting together such a detailed agenda for your new hires. It's a little more in-depth than the one Edward and Rose made, and they've decided to use yours instead. Of course, they'll change 'Operations' to 'Sales and I.T.' but I'm sure the new hires will appreciate the additional information, so thank you."

"If you don't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all," I said as Carlisle laughed harder than I'd ever heard him. "So I have no comment about that. Call me if you need me."

I rolled my eyes as I ended the call. The chiefs and I spent a long time last week setting up the timeline for orientation, and we agreed to come up with agendas for the new hires in our respective groups. I'd used common sense to make mine a bit more detailed than discussed, but really, it hadn't been that hard. Those jackasses - - well, really only Rose and Edward - - had already pissed me off royally and it wasn't even 7:30 yet.

I had no time to fume for long because I needed to call Logan. She was already at work.

"Don't worry about anything," she said with authority. "You put a great team together. We'll be fine. I'm just sorry you'll miss orientation. It's kind of exciting. I'm looking forward to it."

"I'm sorry too," I said. "I really wanted to be there."

I talked to her for quite a bit longer about everything that she'd need to do today and was so engrossed in my conversation that I didn't even notice Maggie entering the kitchen or making breakfast. When I ended the call, she was at the table and had almost finished eating.

"I said an extra prayer for us today," she said as I laughed. "I have a feeling we're going to need it."

I poured a bowl of cereal, grabbed a banana and a bottle of water, and sat down at the table with Maggie. My phone rang again almost as soon as I started eating. I was surprised to see that it was Logan again.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "I just talked to you."

"Did you know that Caius was coming here today?" she whispered.

"No," I said as I gasped. "He's there?"

"Yes," she said, still whispering. "I just saw him, but I think he's been here for at least a half an hour. Alice had to get really tough with him because she's busy with Gianna and he kept trying to talk to her. He's with Jasper now, and Jasper looks ready to choke him."

"This is not good," I said as I shook my head. "This is a really big day and there's a lot going on. Nobody..."

"Shit, here he comes," she hissed.

"Good morning, Caius," she said brightly. "No, I haven't talked to Bella yet. She's sent some e-mails though... Not that I know of... Okay. I'll tell her... See you later."

"Damn you're a smooth liar," I said when she returned to the phone.

Logan cracked up laughing. "He said since we're all busy down here, he's going up to see Carlisle," she said. "He wants you to call him when you can."

"Hell no," I replied as she laughed even harder. "Let Carlisle deal with him. We don't have time to entertain Caius today."

* * *

"I came into this room, and this bed, to keep you from coming in here," New Business said after he took a long swig of Gatorade. "I don't want you getting this."

I rolled my eyes, placed my laptop and phone on the bed, and climbed up beside him. "I don't want to get your nasty superflu either," I said as he grinned. "But you can't tell me where to sit."

"You just hush up and worry about yourself," said Maggie to her son. She'd just entered the room with a tray filled with food and drinks for herself and New Business: water, a pack of crackers, a bowl of broth, a sandwich, a can of Mountain Dew, and a bag of potato chips.

"I can't eat all that," Emmett said with a frown.

"Nobody asked you to," she replied as I laughed. "The broth and crackers are for you. The rest is for me. If I'm allowed to have lunch."

"I'm the sick one here," he said with a light cough. "You'd think you two could be a little nicer to me."

"We stopped being nice after we emptied your fifth pee bottle yesterday," I replied as Maggie laughed. New Business tried to laugh, but started coughing again. He reached over and grabbed a bottle of water from the nightstand and took a swig. Maggie and I exchanged pleased looks.

"What's that look for?" he asked suspiciously.

"You're getting better," I said.

"I don't feel like it," he said, rubbing his chest. "I feel like I got hit by a truck."

"But at least today, you can tell us that," Maggie said.

"You couldn't even speak in whole sentences yesterday," I replied.

"You couldn't even raise your arm, let alone sit up," Maggie said. "This is progress."

"If you say so," New Business said grumpily as he took out one cracker from the tray and took a small bite of it.

A few hours ago, at about 10 this morning, I'd left Maggie knitting in the living room when I'd gone down the hall to the bathroom. I'd been stunned to hear the TV on in the guest bedroom. When I opened the door, New Business was propped up against the pillows changing channels with the remote, like he hadn't been practically comatose since Saturday night.

He was still too weak to stand, which he quickly found out, but he was alert and talking which Maggie and I were ecstatic about. He didn't seem to have much appetite at all, but he was downing bottles of Gatorade like his life depended on it, which in a manner of speaking, I guess it did.

With _much _griping and complaining on his part, we managed to give him another sponge bath, change his sheets again - - as well as his clothes this time - - and give him his meds and Advil.

"_I think I liked it better when he wasn't talking," Maggie said as she started another load of laundry._

"Where's my phone?" he asked as he finished his first cracker and reached for another.

"In our bedroom," I said. "I turned it off. Ryan called you yesterday and told us what happened. He gave me Dave's number and I told him you probably wouldn't be back this week. Dave said to tell you he'll contact your accounts and give them the catalog or something."

He chuckled, then turned serious again. "So you're telling me I can't check my messages?" he asked.

"That's exactly what she's telling you, Sherlock," Maggie said as I cracked up laughing. "And you should thank her because I wanted to call your boss but she wouldn't let me. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind."

He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and sighed. "So I'm just supposed to sit here and let you two be mean to me all week?" he asked, looking between us with real attitude.

"Yes," Maggie said. "That's exactly what you'll do. And if you can make it on Wednesday, Dr. Snow would like to see you. But we'll see how that goes."

He raised an eyebrow then and shut right up as he munched on his cracker. His face said exactly what I'd been thinking: there was no way in hell he'd be strong enough to leave the house on Wednesday.

While Maggie finished her lunch and watched some soap opera on TV, I turned my attention to my highly entertaining work e-mails and phone messages. I chuckled and muttered so much that New Business asked what was going on. Maggie turned from the TV to me as well.

"Well, the expansion finished yesterday," I said. "And all the new employees started this morning. There's a big orientation today, and from the sound of it, Caius keeps trying to run everything."

"He's back?" New Business asked.

I nodded. "He came back Saturday to help us finish up. Doesn't look like he's leaving anytime soon. Listen to this."

I put the phone on speaker and played the message I'd just listened to from Jake.

"_God I wish you were here. Caius started talking in the meet and greet with the new staff this morning and wouldn't shut the hell up. The exec team meeting with them was supposed to last for an hour, and because of Caius it lasted almost two. That fucked up the schedule for the whole day. Carlisle is mad as hell." _

Maggie and Emmett laughed along with me.

"There's plenty more where this came from," I said to them. "You want more?"

They nodded eagerly, and I played another message, from Alice.

"_Oh. My. Gawd. One of the sales interns wore a skirt so damn short you can see her panties every time she sits down. They're black lace, in case you were wondering. That skeezeball James is sniffing around her like a dog in heat. Logan's gonna talk to her about it. Bye for now." _

My audience of two was highly entertained - - Maggie even turned the TV off - - so I played another.

"_Bella, it's Logan. No problems, but I had to tell you this. Caius decided to make the operations meeting room his new office. That's all fine and dandy, but I'm supposed to do the intern training in there this afternoon. Edward's letting me use one of the meeting rooms in sales instead. Caius is out of control." _

"Carlisle, Rose, and Edward are afraid of him," Emmett said with a big grin. "He does what he wants."

I pulled up the final floorplan for our floor and showed it to them.

"As you can see," I said. "Operations - - that's my group, Maggie - - takes up a little over half of the tenth floor, and the sales group is on the other side of the floor. Carlisle is upstairs now, with the finance and information technology groups."

"Looks like there's plenty of space for everyone," Maggie said as she looked at the plan.

"There is," I said. "We still have one big conference room on each floor, but each team also had at least one meeting room right in their area. My group's the largest and we only had space for one meeting room as it was, and apparently Caius just took it over."

"Um, are these really the sizes of the chiefs' offices?" Emmett asked as he too stared at the floorplan. "They look huge. Yours is the smallest one."

"They_ are_ huge," I said. "They even expanded mine, and it's still not as big as the others, which is fine by me."

"I'm surprised it didn't take longer if they're tearing down walls and expanding offices," Maggie said.

"They haven't had to tear down any walls," I said. "All of the office walls were made of glass panels that kind of slid into these... sort of bases or tracks... that were attached to the walls and floors, and interconnected."

"That sounds like the new offices at the church," Maggie said in understanding. "Basically, they've just had to disassemble everything and move it where they want."

"Exactly," I said. "I'm not saying it was easy; the contractors had a big crew working on that, but it was much easier than knocking out building walls."

"What do the chiefs need with all that space?" Emmett asked.

"Well, Carlisle's decided that he wanted his area to be primarily used for client meetings and visits," I said. "His whole space is surrounded by these long walls with thick glass with sketches and carvings in them. He's got expensive artwork all over the place. You should see it."

"I bet he's got a full bathroom in his area, and probably a kitchen too," Emmett said, shaking his head.

"He does," I replied. "Rose got a bathroom put in her office too, but Jake said he didn't need one. Edward wants one, but it's going to take longer because they'll have to pull up some of the floor to get to the pipes."

"So unnecessary," Emmett said.

"It is," I replied. "Carlisle has a whole little kitchen area, but the rest of the chiefs, me included, got mini-fridge and microwave combos in our offices, and big closet units too, with hangers and a chest of drawers built right in."

"It sounds like they want you to live there," Maggie said, looking appalled.

"That's exactly what they want," New Business said. "They want them there as much as humanly possible."

"Well, you have my word that I will not be living there," I said with a laugh. "No way am I..."

My phone rang yet again, interrupting me.

"Let us listen," New Business said as Maggie chuckled.

"Bella, it's Jared."

"And Peter."

"Hey, guys, what's up?" I asked.

"First of all, thank you for staying home so we don't get sick," Peter said as I laughed.

"That's not why we called though," Jared said. "Somebody just told us that Paul, that douche from sales, said he's gonna call marketing 'the United Nations' from now on because of our new hires."

"Why am I not surprised?" I remarked with a chuckle. "I knew somebody would say_ something_. I just thought it would take longer than a few hours though."

"I sent Jasper an e-mail," Peter said. "I don't want any bullshit started. We don't need that."

"I'll talk to Jasper too," I said. "How's everything else going?"

They talked to me for a bit longer, and when I ended the call, I explained what was going on to Maggie and New Business.

"Jared's new admin, Vajra, is Indian," I said. "Larissa, the copywriter, is black. She's Laurent's sister. Ayame - - one of the CMAs - - is Asian, and so is Hanh, the marketing intern."

"What's a CMA?" Maggie asked.

"Conference marketing associate," I said. "We hired two, and they'll be traveling to conferences to represent ATS and try to bring in clients."

"There's never been a lot of diversity there," New Business said to Maggie. "Sounds like Bella's shaking things up."

"Good," Maggie said. "That Cullen family_ needs _some shaking up."

I chuckled. "All I did was help pick the people I thought would fit in best with us," I said with a smile. "If Paul can't handle that without making lame-ass jokes..."

My phone rang again.

"It's Jasper," I said as they cracked up laughing.

"Are you calling about Paul?" I asked. "Jared and Peter just called me."

"I wasn't," he said. "But I did just talk to him. He said, 'It was just a joke. What's the big deal?'"

"Idiot," Emmett and I said at the same time.

"That's his middle name," Jasper said. "He's been warned to keep his _jokes_ to himself. And he's already on warning for something else, so he's on thin ice."

"Three strikes and you're out," I said with a chuckle. "Keep those sales rep résumés handy."

Jasper cracked up laughing. "I was actually calling about Caius," he said. "Is he back for good?"

"I have no idea," I said. "It sounds like he's generally wreaking havoc today."

"You don't know the half of it," he said disgustedly as someone entered his office.

"Shit, I gotta go," he said. "I'll call you later. Hope you feel better, Emmett."

"I like him," Maggie said when I set the phone down. "He has such a soothing voice."

I laughed. "Jasper's really calm in general," I said. "He's perfect for his job."

Next to call, minutes after Jasper, was the Chief Havoc Wreaker.

"It's Caius," I said as I shook my head.

"This should be good," Emmett said with a huge grin.

"I don't even know this man and he sounds like a nuisance," Maggie said.

I tried to keep from laughing as I answered the call.

"I wish you'd tell Rose to stop following me around like a lost puppy," Caius said angrily. "Just because I'm here helping out doesn't mean I've forgiven her."

"You're a big boy," I said. "You're perfectly capable of speaking for yourself."

"The sight of her makes me mad all over again," he said, completely ignoring me.

"I don't mean to be rude," I said, "but Rose is at work. You don't really have to be there. What are you doing anyway?"

"Well, I've been sitting in on the orientation sessions," he said. "Those have been going very well..."

Emmett and Maggie snickered and tried not to laugh too loudly.

"The HR sessions will be starting soon, and I can't wait for those," he said excitedly.

I slapped my hand against my forehead. "Caius, I don't think you should be sitting in on those," I said. "Those are for the new hires to meet with Jasper and Bree and learn about payroll and benefits and ask any questions they have. It's not really open to other people."

"Hmm," he said as if the thought never crossed his mind. "I never thought of it like that. I just thought it would be interesting to hear."

"I don't think Jasper would appreciate that very much," I said. "If you're looking for something to do..."

"I am," he said quickly.

"You could poke around the storage room and see what's in some of those boxes we found last week."

"I'm intrigued," he said. "Which storage room, the big one upstairs or the one down here that was the old server room?"

"The old server room," I said.

"And what boxes are these?" he asked. I could hear him walking.

"We had to clean out the old storage room so they could take down the walls because part of that space is HR now," I said.

"That really looks like a professional human resources center now," he said. "I'm very impressed. But nothing tops the new marketing area. That's like a real ad agency or design studio. It's top of the line."

"And when have you been to an ad agency or design studio?" I asked.

"Well, never," he said with a chuckle as everyone on my side of the phone tried to stifle their laughs. "But I imagine that this is what the good ones look like."

In actuality, Caius was not wrong. Before the expansion, marketing had sort of been tucked away in a corner, but now the expanded group had been placed behind the wall of the reception area, essentially in the middle of the entire floor, in one giant open space.

Jared and Peter each had a corner office, and there were two sets of cubicle pods, one for each of their teams. Everything else - - the specialized printing and drafting equipment, various types of paper and cardstock, software, etc - - had been placed around the space in open shelves, long tables, or in cabinets. There was a large drafting table in the center of the room and a long table against the wall for brainstorming sessions. It looked modern and state of the art. I felt creative just being in here.

"I'm sure Esme would appreciate your compliments on her design, so save them for her," I said as Caius guffawed. "Anyway, all the unused furniture got moved up to the big storage room. But there were about twenty boxes and crates of papers and stuff way in the back of the old room when we cleaned it out. Nobody seems to know what's in them, not even Alice or Jasper. We haven't had time to see what's in all that stuff. That's one of the projects I was going to tackle yesterday. There might be important papers in there."

"I'm very curious now," he said happily. "I accept the assignment, but the door's locked."

"Alice and Gianna have keys to that room," I said. "See if you can..."

"Oh, I hear them right next door, arranging the main conference room," he said, as New Business put a pillow in front of his face to keep from laughing out loud.

I could hear him talking to them, then he got back on the phone.

"Alice says to thank you for finding something for me to do," he said as I laughed. "She just went to go get me a cart from the mail room. Maybe your two young men..."

"Stop calling them that," I said as he laughed. He'd called Tucker and Ricky 'my young men' all day Saturday.

"Sorry, boss," he said as I chuckled. "I'll have the _operations associates_ move the boxes into my office."

"Not today you won't because they're in orientation," I said. "I'm sure someone will help you though. And what's this about an office? I'm out for a day and you have an office now?"

"Jasper said I can make the new meeting room outside of HR my own," he said haughtily. "There's plenty of room around here now. I won't be in the way."

"We do have plenty of space in operations, and we're happy to have you," I said. "But there's_ much _more space upstairs. Why don't you..."

"Just stop it," he said as I cackled again. "There's no room for me in Carlisle's penthouse."

"It's not quite a penthouse," I said as I continued laughing.

"Damn near," he said. "It's like the Palace of Versailles in his space."

I wanted to point out that there were two meeting rooms in the I.T. area, but I knew he didn't want to sit near Rose at all.

"What about that big room by the elevator in sales?" I asked. "It's basically decoration right now."

"I don't care to be that close to Edward," he said. "And I don't think I'd be very welcome in finance either; they're all so serious. And I'm_ certainly_ not sitting in I.T. with Rose. I like it in your area just fine. The atmosphere is much less stuffy in your group."

"Fine," I said with a sigh.

"I won't be trying to take over or anything," he said, "but most everyone has received me very warmly and I like being a part of things. I'd like to come back from time to time. I promise I won't interfere."

"Okay," I replied. "But for the rest of today, please keep yourself in your new office as much as possible and focus on those boxes. There's a lot to get done for orientation and they need to stick to schedule."

"Yes, ma'am," he said as Maggie and Emmett tried desperately to stifle their laughs.

"When you start going through those boxes, don't throw anything away," I said. "I want to know what's in them."

"Understood, boss," he said as I cackled and ended the call.

Emmett was laughing so hard he started coughing again. Maggie quickly handed him a bottle of water.

"I'm sorry but you dealing with Caius sounded like me dealing with Austin, a three-year-old," Maggie said as she shook her head.

"Half my job is figuring out how to deal with the people there," I said. "I really didn't think he was ever coming back but clearly I was mistaken. We don't have time to be looking for things for him to do."

"I'm sorry," Emmett said, still laughing. "This is better than TV."

"Tell me about it," I said as I called Carlisle.

"How are you? Any symptoms yet?" he asked tiredly.

"I feel fine," I said. "I'm taking my meds."

"Good," he said, sounding exhausted. "We were just talking about you. I'm putting you on speaker."

Edward, Rose, and Jake all spoke to me.

"I've got you on speaker too. Emmett and his mom are here."

"How are you, Emmett?" Rose asked immediately, causing me to chuckle.

"I've been better," he said. "Whatever's got a hold of me is pretty bad."

"If you need anything, let me... let us... know," she said as Maggie and I snickered.

"Thanks," Emmett replied as he shook his head.

"Wuddup, dude," Jake said. "You sound_ rough_, man. Get better."

"I'm trying," New Business said. "That's easier said than done."

"We're just happy he's sitting up and talking today," I said. "Yesterday, he couldn't. Listen, I know you all are busy, but I was calling about Caius."

They all groaned, causing Maggie, Emmett, and I to crack up laughing.

"Can we drop him off at your place?" Edward asked. "I don't really mind if he gets sick."

"Is he back for good or what?" I asked.

"That's the million dollar question," Carlisle said, clearly worn out from dealing with his father. "He's ruined my schedule for the whole day. He told me he wanted to come and help for the weekend. I didn't even know he was coming in today."

"Well, he's decided he wants our meeting room as his office," I said.

Jake howled with laughter while the others talked amongst themselves.

"I just asked him to look through those boxes in storage downstairs," I said. "That should keep him busy for today and tomorrow, but..."

"That's just it, Bella," said Carlisle. "We don't know if he wants to come back for good, and we don't have anything for him to do."

"You're going to have to talk to him," I said firmly.

"That's easy for you to say," replied Rose. "He's speaking to you. He's still ignoring me."

"If he's going to be here, you two will have to move past this," I said. "As far as finding something for him to do, give me some time to think about it. Even with all the new staff, I know I can come up with something. We still have needs in operations."

"You have the best relationship with him at this point," Edward said. "That's what we were just talking about. I think we should wait until you get back to talk to him. He listens to you. He gets pissy with me, Rose, and Carlisle."

"I like Caius, and we definitely talk," Jake said. "But it's not like he seeks my advice or anything."

"Okay," I said. "But if that's the case, you better keep him busy until I get back. He's downstairs right now moving those boxes from storage into his office. You could help him with that because Tucker and Ricky are in orientation for the rest of the day."

"We'll go down now," Carlisle said. "If that'll keep him occupied for the next few days, I'll move the boxes myself."

I ended the call and shook my head.

"It's like you're a professional babysitter," Maggie said as she chuckled. "You've got to find the baby some toys to play with."

Emmett and I guffawed.

"I think that's about the best description of my job I've ever heard," I replied.

"Before your next round of calls," New Business said. "I need a pee break."

We helped him again and when he finished, he asked us to help him sit up on the edge of the bed. He looked a little shaky, but he managed to sit upright for a good little while before he asked us to help him lay back against the pillows. This was still more progress, and I'd noticed that while he hadn't touched the broth, he'd eaten a good number of crackers. At least there was something on his stomach now.

My phone kept ringing the entire time but I ignored the calls.

"Aren't you gonna call them back?" New Business asked when he settled back against the pillows looking exhausted.

"No," I replied. "I've had enough of their BS for the day. Right now, I think I need a nap."

"Me too," he said with a broad, dimple-showing grin.

"Me three," Maggie said, standing to leave the room. "Wake me up if you need me."

"I'm sorry-not-sorry that you're stuck here with me," Emmett said.

"That's because you're a selfish bastard," I said as he laughed.

"Tell me how you really feel," he said, still grinning.

"I really feel that you had me worried sick," I said seriously. "When I couldn't get you on the phone Saturday afternoon, I felt lost. I didn't know what to do."

"I could barely talk," he said as we gazed at each other. "My head was pounding and I kept getting dizzy but I just wanted to get home to see you. I knew if I got here, you'd take care of me."

"I'll always take care of you," I said as I placed my palm against his face and rubbed his cheek with my thumb. "I love you."

"I love you, and I'll take care of you too," he said softly.

"Yeah, you sure took care of me this time," I said as he laughed himself into a coughing fit again.

"Even your coughs aren't as bad as yesterday," I said after he took a swig of water.

"I don't fucking _remember _yesterday," he said angrily. "And that scares the shit out of me."

"I'd be scared if I didn't remember a big chunk of time too," I said. "I'm just glad you're getting better. You're _so _much better today."

"I must've been pretty fucked up, because I still feel like shit," he said sleepily.

"Maybe now you'll learn your lesson and stop traveling so much," I said.

"You're one to talk," he said. "You might not be traveling, but you barely look like yourself. You've lost weight and you look so tired. I'm worried about you."

"Don't be," I said. "The worst is over for me. The move is done, and my hours won't be so crazy now. What about you?"

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, before letting out a big yawn. "I'm gonna talk to Dave," he said. "He'd been sending me to more and more tech conferences, just so I could see what the company does there. But I don't really need to go to those. I think it'll be enough for me to just focus on traveling for accounts in my region. That should cut down on how much I'm away."

"Good," I said, yawning myself. "Glad to hear it. Now shut up so I can take my nap."

"Apologies, Madam Bad-Ass," he replied.

We were still grinning at each other when we drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I woke up unsure of the time, the day, or anything else for that matter. I did, however, notice that I was alone and even in my sleep-muddled state, I knew that was not good. I jerked up and scrambled to the edge of the bed, looking for Emmett, who I assumed had rolled onto the floor.

"You should see yourself," chuckled Maggie, who sat in the chair in the corner, knitting. "He's in the bathroom."

My eyes widened at this development.

"You've been asleep since about three this afternoon," she said. "It's ten at night now."

I gasped and again she laughed at me.

"I woke up around five and when I looked in here, he was sitting up again on the edge of the bed," she said. "I told him not to overdo it, but he said he needed to push himself. He said if he fell or something, to call Liam, so I let him be."

"I slept through all of that," I said.

"That's not the best part," she said with a grin. "I made dinner a few hours ago, and when I checked on him again, he asked me to bring him the chair from the computer desk in your bedroom, with the wheels on it."

Again, my mouth fell open.

"I put it right beside him and watched him for a while," she said. "He kept trying to get from the bed to the chair, taking his time, trying to stand up, then sitting back down on the bed if he got too tired. I left him again, and about a half hour ago, he'd managed to get himself into the chair and when I came back again, he was wheeling himself into the bathroom."

"And now he's back," said New Business, looking beyond pleased with himself as he scooched himself into the room while sitting in the chair.

"I can't believe I slept through all of that," I said. "I'm sure you made tons of noise."

"I did," he said with a laugh, "especially since I was trying to wake you up."

It took about another hour for him to have the energy to attempt to get back into bed, but we didn't care. It was just good to see him up and about again. I still had the strong feeling that the worst had yet to come.

* * *

**Tuesday, January 29, 2013**

On Tuesday, the worst came.

"We've gotta get him eating again," said Maggie as we discussed our action plan for the day after breakfast. "And you know what that'll mean."

"We'll need those gloves and masks Kevin left for us," I said with a grimace.

Emmett soon woke up and we helped him dress for the day. Though still weak compared to normal, he appeared _much_ stronger than yesterday. He asked us to leave him alone for a little while as he attempted to use the desk chair to help stand up, so we went to the kitchen and made breakfast.

"If he falls," Maggie said tiredly, "we'll just call Harry."

While I loaded the dishwasher, I heard Maggie gasp. I turned and saw Emmett slowly, very very slowly, walking down the hall. He'd take one shaky step, then slide his hand forward on the wall while the other grasped the chair and pushed it forward a little. My heart leapt into my throat with each step, but I couldn't help but feel proud that he was pushing himself to get better.

When he proudly plopped down in one of the dining room chairs, Maggie insisted that he try to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"Okay, I'll eat it," New Business said nonchalantly. "No big deal. Calm down."

We tried not to hover as he talked to us while he scarfed down the soup and more crackers.

"Happy now?" he asked Maggie as he held up the empty bowl.

"Very," she replied.

I remained silent while I discreetly placed several pairs of the latex gloves and a few of the masks on the counter beneath the breakfast bar.

Very pleased with himself for having successfully eaten real food for the first time in days, New Business remained at the table and asked Maggie about the kids, laughing at whatever she told him. Suddenly, the smile left his face.

"Could you help me up?" he asked. "I need the bathroom. _Fast_."

I kept the desk chair steady so that he could more quickly hold onto it to make his way back down the hall.

He reached the bathroom, but notquite in time.

"Fuck!" he shouted.

Maggie came up behind me with a mask, a pair of gloves, and a trash bag. "I think this is a job for the girlfriend," she said with a smirk.

"Your turn is coming, old woman," I whispered as she cackled and opened the door to the laundry room and started pouring in detergent.

I went to the bedroom and found a clean undershirt, underwear, and shorts to give him. For good measure, I grabbed a fresh pair of socks too. I took a deep breath, put on the mask and gloves, then entered the bathroom, not even bothering to knock.

I loved New Business, I truly did, but the smell inside of that bathroom was ungodly. I tried not to gag.

"Uh, I hate to ask, but I'm gonna need some more underwear," he said sheepishly.

"Two steps ahead of you," I said as I laid the clothes on the edge of the tub.

Most of _it _had landed in the toilet thankfully, but there was still enough of a mess that it took me a good deal of time to get him and the bathroom cleaned up. I gave the soiled clothes and the trash bag to Maggie who promptly put the clothes in the washer and then took the trash bag out to the dumpster.

New Business couldn't even look at me he was so embarrassed as I helped him back into the bedroom. Yes, it was really _really_ disgusting, but it truly wasn't his fault. I had to lighten the mood a little. I turned his head with my hand to force him to look at me.

"The things we do for the people we love," I said as I gave him a quick peck on the lips.

He could do nothing but smile as I climbed into bed beside him.

* * *

My light mood didn't last for long because that was just the first of several unpleasant trips to the bathroom that New Business made over the course of the day. At first, he refused to eat again, fearing a repeat of what had happened, but we tried to reason with him.

"I'd like to think that first round was the worst," I said, talking completely out of my ass.

"Whatever bug you have is working its way out," Maggie said. "Better out than in."

"Next time, we'll have you eat in the bedroom," I said. "It's closer to the bathroom."

Eventually, sheer hunger got to him as his appetite returned. He gulped down two more bowls of soup and some slices of bread. As soon as he finished, he carefully crossed the hall to the bathroom and sat on the toilet.

"Might as well be prepared," he said with a pitiful expression that only caused Maggie and I to crack up laughing. We gave him a bottle of water and his iPad to entertain himself, but we didn't have to wait long.

"I think the second time is the mother's turn," I said smugly. Maggie donned a mask and gloves and bravely stepped inside, only to turn around and come right back out again, laughing her ass off.

"He refuses to let me help him," she said, barely able to talk for laughing. "He insists that it has to be you."

I rolled my eyes and snatched a mask and a pair of gloves from the counter and re-entered the bathroom.

"Don't be mad," he said warily as I narrowed my eyes at him. "You wouldn't want Charlie helping you in a situation like this."

_Damn him. _I absolutely couldn't argue with that logic, so I grudgingly helped him clean up again. Even though he'd prepared himself by sitting on the toilet right after eating, as my literally shitty luck would have it, he still somehow made a mess of his shorts and undershirt which had to be changed again.

After that trip, he wanted to sit in the living room for a while. Maggie placed a bed pad on the sectional and I helped him walk out there, happy to see that he barely relied on the chair at all. Once he was settled, I went to the master bedroom. I felt absolutely disgusting even though I'd repeatedly washed my hands, so I decided to shower and change.

Feeling like a new - - and clean - - woman, I returned to the living room.

"...be able to go see Dr. Snow tomorrow," Emmett was saying.

"I already canceled," Maggie said, not looking up from her knitting. "He wrote you a note for work. Harry's taking me to lunch tomorrow and we'll stop by and pick it up. I guess we can take it to your job."

"You don't have to do that," I said. "Just bring it here and we'll scan a copy and e-mail it to his boss. He can take the real thing when he goes back."

"That would be easier," Emmett said. "Thanks."

I'd just settled back against the couch when my phone - - over on the kitchen countertop - - rang.

"That's about the third time in a row your phone has rung," Emmett said.

"It was ringing a bunch when you were in with Em the first time," Maggie said. "I meant to tell you earlier."

"I probably should have checked in with everybody but I was preoccupied with our patient," I said. I reluctantly stood and grabbed my laptop and phone and then returned to the couch between them.

I didn't bother to check my messages; I just called Gianna. I knew she'd know what was going on, and I knew she'd probably be with Alice.

I put her on speaker since all my calls from work thus far had been so highly entertaining to Maggie and Emmett.

"We will not be ignored, chief," Gianna said as we all laughed.

"We've only been worried about you all morning," Alice said. "No big deal."

"You usually send us an e-mail in the morning or something," added Logan.

"Angie understands that she hasn't heard from you because you're busy and Emmett's sick," Ben said. "But I have to tell her _something_."

"I feel like by this point, Emmett can probably fend for himself," Jasper said. "We need you here more than he does."

"Don't you all yell at Bella," Maggie shouted. "We're knee deep in poop over here. We've got our own problems."

"Ma!" Emmett cried as the rest of us cackled.

"You win," Jasper said. "Stay home, Bella. The last thing we need is 75 people with the shits."

Again, we howled with laughter, even Emmett laughed this time.

"How are you, Em?" Gianna asked when we settled down. "Liam and Kim are really worried. We didn't call because Maggie said you were resting."

"I gotta tell ya," Emmett said tiredly. "This thing has kicked my _ass_."

"You sound _horrible_," Alice said. I could picture her face scrunched up distastefully.

"He's much better than he has been," I said. "Looks better too."

We talked to them a bit longer; they obviously didn't want anything of importance but I certainly appreciated them checking on me. They shared a few more funny stories about Caius and some of the new hires before they ended the call.

I was on the verge of taking a nap, so I handed Emmett my phone.

"You should call Liam and Emily," I said with a yawn. "They're worried about you."

"You should," Maggie said. "I was supposed to have you call them when you were feeling better but we've been busy."

I listened quietly and replied to a few e-mails as Emmett talked first to Emily and the boys, then to Liam - - who was still at work but was clearly thrilled to hear from him, and then to Kim who gabbed away on the phone from wherever she was after school.

Feeling very content that New Business was finally on the mend, I sent one last e-mail to Carlisle, shut down my laptop, and fell into a sound sleep.

* * *

**Wednesday, January 30, 2013**

By Wednesday, it became clear that while Emmett was on the mend here at home, a real situation was brewing at work.

Caius.

I knew busy work wouldn't keep him occupied for long: he'd sorted and organized everything in the boxes and even sent me a report about it all. Now, he'd apparently taken to hanging out in my team's area, talking everybody to death when they had real work to do.

Since there was no point delaying the inevitable, I asked Tucker and Ricky to move everything out of that meeting room and put Caius's old desk and chair in there.

"Is Carlisle okay with that?" Alice asked. "He might want him upstairs."

"He does want him upstairs, but Caius wants to be with us," I said. "His exact words were 'The atmosphere is much less stuffy down here'."

The members of my team gathered in Logan's office laughed hysterically.

"Most of them are acting like they've got big sticks up their asses now," Alice said of the staff on the eleventh floor.

"I thought it was just me who noticed that," Logan said.

"They got the brand new space, and they're feeling above us now in every sense of the word," Jasper said.

"I can't wait to see for myself," I said with a chuckle. "But let's get back to the matter at hand. Caius. If you guys can get his old desk and stuff moved in, I'd appreciate it. They're upstairs in the big storage room."

"Don't worry," Tucker said. "We'll take care of it."

"It's not like we can say no," Ricky said. "He's a little... bold."

"That's one word for Caius," I said as the others laughed. "Alice and Jasper know which ones are his. If there's room, see if you can put a little table or a file cabinet and a few other chairs in there too."

"Sure, we got nothing else to do," Jasper said as the others cracked up laughing.

In minutes, I received a call from Caius. "Thank you," he said happily. "Logan just told me what's happening. I wondered what had happened to my old furniture. I thought Esme had used it for firewood."

"She actually wanted to take it," I said. "But Alice and I wouldn't let her. I guess we knew in our guts that you weren't quite done with us."

"You two know me well," he said. "I'm very happy to hear that you didn't get sick. How's Emmett?"

"Yesterday was rough," I said. "But I think the worst is over."

"Wonderful," he said before he quickly turned the subject back to himself.

"Bella, I want to thank you for being respectful of me," he said. "I know that some of the other chiefs don't want me here but..."

"I don't think that's true," I said. "I think the real issue is that no one knows what to do with you. That's the honest truth."

He sighed. "I thought as much," he said.

"And, you're not one to sit still while we figure something out," I said. "Whatever the opposite of anti-social is, that's you."

"I just can't stand sitting around at home anymore," he said as he laughed. "At least here I know people and I'm enjoying meeting some of the new staff. But I swear, I'll stay out of the way."

"You don't know how to stay out of the way," I said as he guffawed. "Don't worry though. I'm working on a plan for you."

"Thanks, Bella," he said sincerely. "I can't wait until you're back here."

"That makes two of us," I mumbled as he laughed and ended the call.

I hadn't lied to Caius: I couldn't _wait_ to go back to work.

Maggie and I both believed that the worst was over for New Business. However, he'd reached a difficult stage. His appetite had returned with a vengeance and he was standing and walking, albeit slowly, with relative ease. However, he still didn't have even half of his old level of strength back and he was growing increasingly angry and bitter about that.

"I'm eating, I'm drinking water and Gatorade, I'm taking this stupid medicine," he fumed this morning. "I'm ready to be back to normal. I'm tired of being a weakling."

Maggie and I had stopped trying to reassure him because he'd just snap back at us. We just listened to him rant and kept taking care of him like we had been.

Around lunchtime, Gianna called me.

"I meant to call last night but I couldn't talk," she said. "I wanted to thank you for having Em call Liam. He's been_ really _worried about him. He's a little more... sensitive... since he's been going to family counseling."

"Has he gone every week?" I asked.

"He has," she replied. "Shocked the shit out of me. He's gone with Maggie and Emily every Thursday evening since that first one. He asked me if I thought maybe we should go to couples' counseling."

"Wow," I said. "I didn't think he'd stick with it at all. Are you going to do it?"

"I think we should," she said. "I don't feel like we need it, but he's trying to be better about his temper and letting go of some of the anger. I think I should go."

"I'm happy for you," I said. "You sound more at peace. Not that you sounded upset before or anything."

"I know," she said. "I've always just sort of accepted that Liam had a bad temper. I never really thought it was something that could be worked on or corrected. Kim's noticing how different he is too."

I was about to respond when I heard Maggie and Emmett shouting at each other down the hall.

"I better go," I said to Gianna. "The natives are getting restless."

She howled with laughter. "I've been waiting for that to happen. I have no sympathy for Maggie whatsoever. She's babied Em his whole life, and she created this monster. She _should_ have to deal with it. You hang in there. Talk to you later."

I hurried down the hall and entered the guest bedroom where mother and son were engaged in quite the shouting match.

"... not helping me take a bath!" New Business yelled. "I'm not a kid. Bella can..."

"In case you haven't noticed, Bella has work to do," Maggie shouted back. "She's put her life on hold this week for you. She can't wait on you hand and foot. I gave birth to you. I've seen it all before."

"Well, you're not seeing this," he snapped. "I'll just stay in bed."

"I can help you if you want to take a bath," I said quickly before Maggie could reply. "I was about to break for lunch anyway."

They both looked at me in surprise, neither had realized that I was there.

"Thank you," New Business said smugly as he glared at his mother.

"Fine. You deal with the baby," said Maggie.

She gave him one final glare before she turned to leave the room.

"I'll get ready to leave," she said to me. "It won't be long before Harry's here to get me."

"Are you sure you'll be okay in the tub?" I asked Emmett. "You still don't have all your strength."

"I feel disgusting," he said with a frown. "I'd love to take a shower because I can barely fit in that tub as it is, but I don't have the strength for that. I know I can get in the tub; I just need a little help."

"Are you _sure_ you're up for this?" I asked. "If you pass out or something, we won't be able to lift you. We'll have to call for help, and I know you won't want that."

"I wanna take a bath," he whined. "I can make it."

I pursed my lips, but said nothing as he made his way to the bathroom. He used the toilet while I ran the bath water. I thought about the fact that months ago, I'd have been unsettled, to say the least, by being in the bathroom with him on the toilet. Now, I was already used to it. Just another of the many indicators that we were for real.

"Do you want some of your body wash or do you just want soap?" I asked.

"If you don't mind getting the body wash," he said. "It's in our bathroom."

I left to get it, and chuckled at Maggie, who was already stripping the sheets off of the bed he'd just vacated.

"I know he's a little touchy right now," I said to her. "But I'm glad you're here. I couldn't do all this without you."

"I'm just trying to help," she said, clearly a little hurt by the way he'd been treating her. "He's never been this sick before, so it's hard for me to see him like this."

"You're doing great," I said as I gave her a hug which she quickly returned.

"Thanks," she said with a warm smile.

One of the more positive things to come out of this crazy week with New Business was the fact that Maggie and I both gained a greater appreciation for each other.

I hurried to the master bath, grabbed his favorite body wash, and returned to the guest bathroom where he sat waiting for me on the toilet.

"You done talking about me now?" he quipped sullenly.

"Don't get huffy with me," I said with a chuckle as I poured some of the body wash into the bath. "I'm glad your mom is here. Taking care of you is not easy."

"You're supposed to be on my side," he grumbled.

"It's not about sides," I said. "I do have a lot to do for work, and there's no way I could do that and wash all the sheets and clean the bathroom and cook for you."

"Well I'm sorry for fucking getting sick," he yelled.

I grinned at him and shook my head. "Yesterday was shitty day, today is grumpy day," I said with a smirk. "I'm starting to figure this flu thing out."

He narrowed his eyes at me, not amused at all. "Just help me in the tub so you can get back to your precious work, which you love more than me anyway," he replied.

"You're kind of an asshole when you're sick," I said with a chuckle.

I heard Maggie laugh out in the hallway; clearly, she'd heard me.

"I need help, not insults," he muttered.

"Yes, sir," I said. "My apologies, sir."

I was absolutely cracking up, as was Maggie out in the hall, as I helped him step out of his shorts and underwear while he braced himself against the counter.

I did get serious when he turned toward the tub; he looked shakier in the nude and I was terrified that he would collapse and hit his head. He seemed to be having the same thoughts as he carefully braced his hands against the walls as he stepped in and lowered himself into the warm water with a throaty moan.

"Thank you," he groaned as he leaned his head back with his eyes shut and took deep breaths. I saw him shiver several times involuntarily, and that more than anything made me realize how sick he still was, no matter how much he'd improved. I felt a little bad for making fun of him.

Getting into the tub seemed to have taken all of his energy and I realized that I'd have to actually wash him up before the water cooled. I started with his hair which was practically stuck to his head and smelled awful, probably from all the sweating he'd been doing.

"I'll wash your hair first, okay?" I asked softly. He opened his eyes and nodded.

I wet the washcloth and used it to pour water over his head as his tired eyes followed my every movement. I used a palmful of shampoo-conditioner to carefully soap up his hair, taking care not to get any in his eyes.

"He stopped scowling," I said, my voice filled with mirth, "he must like this."

New Business chuckled and I was happy to see that there was no accompanying cough this time. I hurried to rinse his hair, which took several passes with the washcloth. I then used the cloth to wipe off all of him that I could reach: his face, neck, and arms; chest and stomach; and then his long legs which were bent and protruded out of the water. When I leaned down to wipe between them, I rolled my eyes.

"You _cannot_ be serious?" I remarked as New Business flashed a sheepish grin and shrugged.

His cock was fully erect and hard as a rock.

"I can't help it," he said. "You look all hot with your hair up like that, wearing my sweatshirt, and you keep rubbing me. What am I supposed to do?"

All I was trying to do was give him a bath in his flu-weakened state, and he'd gone and turned that into a sexual experience. I wanted to be angry, but I was too busy grinning because he said I looked hot. I felt anything but, with my hair thrown up into a very messy ponytail, wearing one of his giant sweatshirts, and leggings. But I couldn't help but feel beautiful with the way he was looking at me. So, I decided to help him out.

"Just be quiet," I whispered. "Don't forget we're not alone."

He nodded and grinned, then hissed a little when I used the soapy washcloth to tend to his cock and balls. He placed his hands on both sides of the tub as I slowly moved my hand up, down, and around with the cloth. I started getting aroused watching his face, which was contorted in both pleasure and pain. His body was clearly still sore from the flu, and he was also trying to keep from yelling out.

It had been so long since we'd been together that even this tiny amount of action, which wasn't even contact because our skin wasn't touching, had us both horny and wanting.

He soon clenched the sides of the tub and began pulsing... and pulsing... and pulsing even more into the washcloth.

"Looks like you were a little backed up," I whispered when he finally finished his release and sank back against the tub with a very satisfied grin.

"Yeah, I'd say so," he replied when he caught his breath and opened his eyes.

"Glad to be of service," I said as I kissed him on the forehead, then his cheek, and then quickly on the lips.

His blinding smile made all of his earlier testy behavior worthwhile. I quickly tossed the washcloth into the trash.

"Won't be keeping that one," I said as he laughed.

I washed my hands then and turned to him. "Now we have to figure out how to get you out of there," I said seriously.

"Just give me a few minutes," he said. "Then I'll get up. Could you get me some Gatorade?"

I nodded and ran to get a bottle.

He started gulping it down as soon as I handed it to him. I released the bath stopper so the water could begin draining, then I began toweling off his hair and all parts of him that I could reach. When it was clear that he still wasn't quite ready to start the process of getting out, I turned away from him and used some Lysol wipes to clean off the counter and toilet seat, then I emptied the trash, and put a new bag in the trash can. By the time I finished, he seemed to have made up his mind because he'd leaned forward with both hands braced on the edge of the tub; his expression was one of sheer determination.

After several dicey attempts, he managed to raise himself to sit on the edge of the tub, then somehow maneuvered himself over to the toilet where he plopped down on the lid with a thud.

"Just let me sit here," he said, looking completely drained and out of breath.

I nodded and wiped him off with the towel again, now able to reach most of the rest of him. I then quickly rinsed out the tub which was covered in a gray film from all the accumulated sweat and dirt, even though we'd managed to give him some decent sponge baths. I could completely see why he'd wanted to take a bath. I felt dirty just from looking in the tub.

I left the bathroom to put the trash bag by the door, and found that we had a visitor.

"Harry!" I said brightly.

"You're smiling, that's a good sign," he said with a laugh. "How do you feel?"

"I feel fine," I said.

"Maybe Harry can help in case Em can't get out of the tub," Maggie said worriedly. "Is he out?"

"He is," I said. "But I'm not sure he can make it back to the bedroom. He's sitting on the toilet right now, trying to get his energy up. It's not looking so good."

I left out the part where I'd helped him have some major energy release, which in retrospect, probably hadn't been such a good idea. But I couldn't be upset about that. The man had had a literally shitty week. He deserved a little hand action.

"Let me talk to him," Harry said.

"Aren't you worried you might catch it?" I asked.

"Flu shot," he said smugly.

"You know, those things don't make you Teflon," I said as they cracked up laughing.

"I'll be fine," he said, still laughing, as he went down the hall and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Any more trash?" I asked Maggie. " I'm taking more out."

"You've worn a path to that dumpster these last few days," she said with a grin. "And yes, here's one more bag."

I was on my way back inside when a car pulled up right beside me and stopped.

"Bella! I'm so glad you're okay," said my next-door neighbor whose name escaped me.

"Kevin told me Emmett's got the flu," she said. "How is he?"

I talked to her for longer than I'd planned. When I went back inside, Harry was helping Emmett - - towel wrapped around his waist - - across the hall, back to the guest bedroom. And by helping, I meant practically carrying, because it was clear that the effort it took to get out of the bathtub had drained him completely. Maggie watched the pair with her hands clasped over her mouth.

"It's a good thing Harry was here," I said as I rubbed her arm.

"It's hard to see him like this," she said with watery eyes. "He's never been this sick. I hate that stupid job of his."

"He could get the flu anywhere," I said. "But he does need to cut back on the traveling. I'm with you there. He says he will."

"I think you two can take over from here," Harry said, emerging from the bedroom.

"Thanks," I said as I followed Maggie who'd rushed into the room.

New Business was completely stretched out on the fresh bedsheets, looking like he'd already fallen asleep.

"He does look better. Much better," Maggie said as she stared at his face while I managed to wrestle a fresh pair of underwear and shorts onto him.

"Let's not bother putting a shirt on him," I said tiredly. "He's already asleep."

"He should have socks so he won't get too cold," she said as I went to get a pair.

He barely stirred at all while we put on the socks and placed the comforter and blanket over him.

"I don't know what I would have done without you two," I said as I collapsed onto the sectional when we reached the living room. "Thanks so much."

"I'm taking Maggie to lunch," Harry said as he eyed me with concern. "I think maybe you should come too. You look a little thin. I think he'd be all right until we got back."

"I'll stay here," I replied. "I'm fine. And Maggie will tell you herself, I_ have _been eating. She's made sure of it."

"She has," Maggie said in agreement. "She looks way better than she did when I first got here."

"So there," I said to Harry. "You can give a good report to your best friend Charlie so he can stop threatening to come down here."

Harry guffawed. "I'll do that," he said.

"Bella, are you sure you'll be okay while I go out?" asked Maggie, though she was already putting on her coat.

"I'll be fine," I said. "You saw him. He's out like a light."

"Okay, I'll be back soon," she said as she practically ran out of the door. With a final wave, Harry followed her.

"Looks like her favorite child has worked her nerves a little," I said with a chuckle when they left.

* * *

**Thursday, January 31, 2013**

Wednesday rolled into Thursday with little change in my daily routine: help New Business get washed and dressed, eat meals with Maggie, and help her clean up after Emmett. There was one change though: I spent a good deal more time sending e-mails and making and fielding calls on real work issues. I'd really wanted to return to work tomorrow, but my doctor burst my bubble.

"_Monday," she said. "That'll be over seven days since you were first exposed. You'll be fine then. There's no point putting others at risk by rushing back tomorrow. They managed without you all week, they'll manage one more day. I'll write a note if you need one."_

"_Thanks," I said bitterly. _

New Business was downright giddy at the news.

"You're stuck with my ass," he said, openly laughing in my face.

"Don't remind me," I said, rolling my eyes, while Maggie laughed.

Thursday afternoon, Harry took Maggie out again for a few hours, and I received a surprise visitor.

"Are you sure you should be here?" I asked Angie, who'd shown up after she left work. "I don't want to be responsible for making your kids sick at school."

"Do you have any idea how many germs those sweet little children expose me to every single day?" she asked as she took off her coat.

"No," I said.

"A lot," she said. "Besides, I can smell the Lysol in here, and I know you and Maggie have scrubbed this place clean. If any of the kids in my class gets sicker than they already are, I promise you it won't be from me because of you."

"Okay then," I said. "I'm glad you came. I really miss you."

"I miss you too," she said. "I _had_ to see you. I'm not getting anywhere near that germ factory Emmett, but ..."

"I heard that," New Business shouted from the guest bedroom. "Feel free to take your ass back home."

"Clearly, he's feeling better," she said as we fell out laughing. "You, however, look_ terrible_."

"I can always count on you to make me feel good," I said.

"How much weight have you lost?" she asked, frowning as she looked me over.

"I'd lost about eight pounds before Maggie got to me," I said. "I think I've gained back at least a pound or two since she's been here."

"Good," Angie said. "I can't have you getting all skinny when I'm..."

"Oh stop it," I said. "You look the same as you always do."

She laughed. "I guess I'm just paranoid," she said. "I've got a wedding dress to fit into soon."

"How soon?" I asked in alarm.

"We've set a date," she said with a mile-wide grin. "August 24th. It's a Saturday."

"Of this year?" I asked, stunned that so much had happened without me knowing.

"Yes," she said. "I was worried we wouldn't find a space, but Ben took care of that himself."

"I'm shocked," I said sarcastically as she laughed. As a Cheney, Ben probably had a wealth of connections.

"His grandparents have a house on Bainbridge Island," she said as my eyes grew wide. I didn't know much about the Seattle area but I knew that there were some very wealthy families who lived on the island. Caius had mentioned having property there several times.

"We're having it there," Angie said. "It's so beautiful."

"That'll be here before we know it," I said, still having difficulty wrapping my mind around the rapid developments.

"I know," she replied. "That's why I want you to go with me to look at bridesmaids' dresses soon. As maid of honor, that's in your job description. You can't say no."

I gasped, then flung my arms around my best friend. "Thank you," I said, delighted that she'd chosen me as maid of honor. "Won't Angel be mad?"

I knew that Angie's sister would be expecting to be the center of attention.

"Angel can suck it," she replied as we cracked up laughing.

We spent the next hour talking and catching up. I vowed that I wouldn't let so much time pass again, for any reason, without talking to the closest person to a sister I'd ever known.

* * *

**Friday, February 1, 2013**

On Thursday afternoon, I'd called an exec team meeting for Friday morning. After giving it much thought, I had a proposal about our Caius _situation_.

"Will he be at the meeting?" New Business asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Damn, I better make some popcorn," he said with a big grin. "This is gonna be good."

I rolled my eyes and dialed in to Carlisle's office phone as Maggie bustled about the kitchen making breakfast.

"We're waiting for my father," Carlisle said, already sounding exasperated, after I spoke to everyone. "The rest of us are here."

"How's Emmett?" asked Rose eagerly.

"I'm fine, thanks," I said as everyone laughed.

"I know you're fine," Rose said with a chuckle.

"Emmett's doing much better," I said as I turned to grin at him.

"It's scary to think how serious that virus must have been to keep him out of commission for a week," Rose said. "He always took great care of himself."

New Business nodded up and down with a huge smirk until I punched him on the arm and he quit.

"It was pretty bad," I said. "I'm just glad it's over, and that I didn't get it. He's going to the doctor Monday, and hopefully back to work on Tuesday."

"Good to hear," said Caius, who'd apparently entered the office. I could almost feel the tension through the phone so I promptly began the meeting.

"I'm sorry to pre-empt the usual morning exec meeting," I began, "but we all know there's been some tension about Caius returning to ATS and we need to resolve it. Things are going well, and we have too much to do. We don't need the drama, especially not with all the new staff. We're going to resolve this today."

New Business made a whipping motion with his hand which caused me to grin. Maggie walked all the way into the living room with her breakfast tray so that she could listen in, which caused me to smile.

"I agree," Carlisle said. "This week was stressful enough and we didn't need the added distraction."

I heard someone, probably Caius, snort in derision.

"I think it's pretty safe to say that Caius would like to work with us again in some capacity," I said. "Is that true?"

"Yes, it is," he replied.

"While I've been away," he continued, "I've done a lot of thinking. My feelings regarding my family haven't changed, but I miss ATS terribly. I honestly don't want to start up a consulting business at my age. I like it here."

"What would you like to do?" I asked, surprised by his candor.

He sighed. "That's just it," he said. "In one month's time, this is like a whole new company. I don't know if there's a place for me anymore."

"Of course there's a place for you," Carlisle said testily. "But you have to accept that I'm the CEO now, and frankly, I don't know if you can handle that."

I was stunned by the curt way that Carlisle had spoken to his father, but we needed to air this out.

Someone sighed loudly, probably Caius.

"If you're going to be here, then you can't go around ignoring people," Edward said suddenly. "We're the exec team and you have to respect us. If you don't, the other employees will notice and it won't send the right message."

"I'm very aware that this is the new exec team," Caius snapped. "But that doesn't mean I have to forget what Rose did to me."

"I didn't do anything to you," Rose shouted, finally speaking to her uncle. "That was mother and Aunt Corin."

"You went along with them and I'll never forget it," Caius spat back. "After everything I've done for you, I thought I could count on you to be loyal. I treated you like you were my daughter, not my niece, then you went right along with them and stabbed me in the back. You did this to yourself."

"I have told everyone repeatedly that I wasn't thinking clearly," Rose said, determined to state her case now that he was talking to her and listening. "I was jealous of you and Bella getting so close, and I hated that she was here. She's accepted my apology. Why can't you?"

Maggie and Emmett were chuckling to themselves at all the drama as they eagerly listened in.

"I don't trust many people," Caius said in reply to Rose. "You know that about me. I trusted you. It's going to take a long, long time for me to trust you again. I'll be civil to you if I'm allowed to come back here for good. But don't push me, Rosalie. Because you hurt me, and I can't forget that."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Cai," she said with a shaky voice. "I miss you."

I heard rustling and whispering, and I figured that Edward was attempting to comfort Rose as he had when I'd met with them after the holiday party. I didn't want this to turn into an episode of _Oprah_, so I spoke up.

"I think we should vote on whether we want Caius to come back or not," I said. "My vote is 'yes'. I think we're a better company with him than without him. But I think everyone should have a say."

"I'm all for it," Jake said quickly. "Caius really gets the financial market and how it all relates to ATS. I'd love to have him back to bounce ideas off of."

I could picture Caius smiling at Jake.

"I'd like to have him back," Edward said cautiously. "But I have reservations because I don't know what it means for the family."

"Nothing would change with my relation to the rest of the family," Caius said. "As far as I'm concerned, they're dead to me. If I see them here, or anywhere else, I won't acknowledge them."

Rose sobbed as Edward spoke again. "How will that work?" he asked. "You know how close we all are. How can you..."

"It's my understanding that the company and the family are completely separate entities now," Caius said, interrupting his nephew. "I thought that was the main reason for getting rid of Tanya. Am I mistaken?"

"No, you're not mistaken," Carlisle said in an annoyed tone. "But I know what Edward means. The family will hear that you're back. It's going to be awkward for us."

"What does that have to do with me?" Caius asked bluntly, causing Maggie, Emmett, and I, and what sounded like Jake over the phone, to snicker and stifle our laughs. That was cold-blooded.

"Nothing," Carlisle shouted, finally losing his cool. "You'll come back here, the family will be mad at us, and we'll have to deal with them while you sit back, letting them waste all of grandfather's money and pretending they don't exist."

"Sounds like a perfectly fine plan to me," Caius said calmly.

Caius may have changed his mind about returning to ATS, but he clearly wasn't budging about his relationship with his family. Outside of Carlisle, the baby, Edward, and possibly Rose, he would not be having any interaction with the Cullen clan.

I quickly interjected before anyone could respond.

"Your family issues are supposed to be separate from ATS. That was made clear to me when I took this job," I said loudly.

"That's what I was told too," said Jake in agreement.

"So whether Caius is speaking to them or not has nothing to do with us," I said firmly. "What are your votes? Do you want Caius back at ATS or not? And be honest, because we don't have time to keep going back and forth about this. We need to decide, once and for all."

"I vote 'yes'," said Carlisle, though he sounded furious. "But I have real concerns about whether he truly understands that he won't be CEO anymore. And I have no idea what there is for him to do here now. There. I said it."

"I'd like Uncle Cai to come back," said Rose, who'd finally collected herself. "He knows so much about business. It would be crazy not to keep him around if he wants to be here. But I don't know what he could do on my I.T. team."

"Thank you, Rose," said Caius softly.

"I vote 'yes'," Edward said to round out the voting. "I wish he'd come back to the family too, but I won't press my luck."

"Thank you, Edward," Caius replied. "I may have changed my mind about ATS, but I'm very serious about my feelings toward the family, outside of you three. That bridge has been burned."

"That makes it unanimous then," I said quickly, tired of all of the family talk. "Welcome back, Caius."

"Thank you," he said, though his reaction was tempered, probably by some of the things Carlisle and Edward had said.

"Carlisle," he began, "I honestly didn't think being CEO would mean so much to you. I'm proud of you for taking on the challenge. I'm not coming back here to steal it away from you. I'm an old man without many friends who's bored to tears. I just want to work. Here. It's really that simple."

"I just don't want people saying 'Caius would be better as CEO'," Carlisle said. "I want a chance to lead without looking over my shoulder."

"That's what you'll have," Caius said quickly. "I promise."

"Carlisle, you can't control what people think," I said. "There are some people here who already think Caius was the better CEO, and they probably_ will _say things like that."

I was sure Carlisle was frowning, but he needed to hear this and not stick his head in the sand.

"The challenge for you will be to prove them wrong," I said. "People here have all different opinions of Caius, and of you, Edward, and Rose. Some good, some bad. To change the bad opinions, you need to grow the company and be a fair leader."

"Bella's right," Jake said. "Caius pointed us in the right direction. Then, if you pick up where he left off, which you already have, and lead us to growth like we've never had before, we'll bring in more clients. More clients will mean more money in people's paychecks. And that'll definitely win you some converts."

"Thank you, Bella and Jake," said Carlisle. "I needed to hear that."

Someone sighed, then our CEO spoke again.

"You know I want you here," Carlisle said to his father. "Like Rose said, I missed you when you were gone. I like seeing you every day. But I honestly don't know what there is for you to do. We've just filled all of the new jobs."

"That's the reason I wanted to meet this morning," I said. "I could really use Caius's help with conference marketing. I think he'd be perfect for what I have in mind actually."

"You just filled all of your jobs," Edward said skeptically. "You don't have any open positions that you've told us about."

"It's not an open position per se," I said. "But there is a definite need."

"I'd love to work for you, Bella," said Caius. "What do you have in mind?"

"For at least the next few months, we're going to need more help on-site at the conferences," I said. "Would you be willing to travel once a week, maybe more, for the next few months?"

"Definitely," Caius said eagerly. "I love to travel. Everyone knows that."

"But you have the CMAs," Rose said. "Plus Peter. Are you making Caius a third CMA?"

"No," I replied. "I've been thinking that we're going to need someone who really knows ATS to be with the CMAs until they really get a handle on what they're supposed to do and say at the conferences."

"But isn't that Peter's job?" Edward asked. "He's the head of conference marketing."

"Yes and no," I said. "He is the head of that group. He'll be responsible for finding new conferences for us to attend each month, and he'll supervise the CMAs. But I always envisioned Peter leading the team from the office. That way, if there's a problem on-site, he can troubleshoot from here and send the CMAs whatever they need, wherever they may be."

"I think I see what you're getting at," Jake said. "The CMAs are brand new to the company. Sure, they can stand there and hand out brochures and stuff, and take down information from potential clients, but they don't really know enough about ATS yet to do a hard sell."

"Exactly," I said. "Edward, I know you said that you and Heidi would rotate sales reps to attend the conferences, but..."

"You don't have to finish that sentence," Edward said with a bitter laugh. "We're down to three experienced sales reps since we moved the others to new business. We just hired three new reps, but they're not up to speed yet obviously. Heidi and I were just saying yesterday that we can't really spare anyone for the conferences."

"That's what I suspected," I said. "We're planning to attend a minimum of five conferences a month, starting next week. We need someone who knows ATS to be there at every conference for the next few months, until Ayame and Greg get up to speed and until Edward assigns sales reps to help out."

"And this is what you have in mind for me?" Caius asked excitedly.

"Yes," I said. "I'd need to talk to Peter, but I actually think he'd be happy if you could do this. He told me that he took the job at ATS because he was doing too much traveling at his last job. He has several kids, and they're little, and his wife wasn't happy about him traveling so much."

"I think a few people came here to get away from more stressful jobs," Jake said. "Ben and Shelly on my team did."

I nodded, not that they could see me, then continued.

"Peter would go to the first conference with Caius and each CMA," I said. "He has experience with how the booths should physically look, and he knows about the whole process for managing them on-site."

"Then, we'd know how to set-up the booths after he shows us the first time," Caius said. "After that, we can call him here if we have problems or to let him know how things are going. Meanwhile, the CMAs would learn from me how to properly talk up ATS to potential clients."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," I said as the others murmured amongst themselves. "Peter was going to do it, but I could tell he wasn't thrilled with the prospect of all that traveling again. And frankly, I need Peter here. The man knows more about marketing than anyone I've ever met. I'd even been thinking of going on a few trips so he wouldn't have to."

Maggie and Emmett both raised their eyebrows at me, causing me to chuckle. Those had been my old plans, and they'd since been thrown out of the window.

"So Peter would only go to two conferences total," Carlisle said. "The first trip with Ayame and Caius, and then the first trip with Greg and Caius. Am I understanding that correctly?"

"Yes. That's it exactly," I replied. "I think Peter could handle just the two trips."

"Uncle Cai would be great at the booths," Edward said, now fully onboard with the idea. "He can sell anything, and nobody knows ATS better, besides me, Rose, and Carlisle."

"I like to think so," Caius said with pride.

"That would help us out in sales too while we train the new reps," Edward added. "Eventually, we'll identify a few people for conference work, but that might take a while."

"Now the thing is, Caius, I'm talking about _a lot _of traveling," I said. "For at least the next three months, probably longer."

"I can't wait," Caius said, sounding delighted that we really did need him and weren't just making up work for him. "This may just make things a little better for me at home too."

"I bet you drove poor Dora to drink this last month, didn't you?" I asked as the others howled with laughter. Maggie and Emmett laughed as well.

"Let's just say, she's ready for me to find_ something _to do with myself," he said before he too fell out laughing.

"Okay," I said. "I didn't want to say anything to Peter until I talked to you first. He's usually in pretty early. Let me call him now, then I'll call you right back."

"Sounds good, Bella," said Carlisle, sounding much happier than he had earlier in the conversation.

I ended the call and let out a long sigh of relief. Caius could stay, and he'd actually be helping the company.

"So they're all sitting right there face to face," Maggie said slowly, "but it took you calling them from home to fix their problems?"

Emmett snorted and laughed.

"Welcome to a day in my life at ATS," I said as Emmett continued to laugh.

"Ridiculous," Maggie said. "Like I told you earlier in the week, you're a professional babysitter. You're a saint for dealing with that nonsense every day."

I laughed again as I called Peter. He didn't answer the phone at his desk, so I called Jared's.

"He's in here right now," Jared said when I'd asked if he'd seen Peter. "I'll leave if you want."

"No, you can stay," I said. "What I have to say will affect marketing in general. Just put me on speaker."

I quickly relayed my plan to them and Peter's gasps told me - - before I'd even finished - - that he was _very _much in favor of my idea. However, he wasn't the one who spoke first.

"You don't know how happy this makes _me_," Jared said as I cracked up laughing. "Now I don't have to hear him complain about having to travel again."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked Peter. "You didn't seem happy about it, but you never flat out said you didn't want to do it."

"Because I like this new job," he said bluntly. "And I like my new paycheck even more."

Again, Maggie and Emmett laughed.

"I understand," I said with a grin. "Do you have some time now to go up to Carlisle's office? They're up there now. You can give an overview of how the booths should operate."

"I'm on my way," Peter said quickly. "I mean it, Bella. You've made my day."

I called Carlisle and the others and told them that Peter was very much in favor of the idea and was on his way up to meet with them. To say that the exec team was happy would be a massive understatement.

"They can't wait to send Caius away," New Business whispered as I chuckled.

I didn't have to ask them to let me know when Peter arrived. We all heard him.

"Thank you, Caius!" he yelled and the room exploded in laughter all over again.

Once everyone settled down, Peter began to talk about what would be required at the conference booths, and how he'd be responsible for making signs for them before they left based on the 'specs' or dimensions of the booths as well as all giveaways and promotional materials from Jared's group.

Since the first two conferences were scheduled for next week, we quickly set an agenda for Caius.

"Why don't we set up some time today?" Edward said. "At least two hours if everybody can spare it. Peter, you can bring the two CMAs, and I'll bring Heidi so we can talk about the booths from the sales perspective and the type of information we want you to collect from potential leads."

"Kate's responsible for all travel arrangements now," Carlisle said, "so I'll ask her to sit in as well. Bella, can you call in for the meeting too? You should be involved."

"Definitely," I said. "Just let me know what time. Peter, I'll ask Jared to sit in too."

"I was thinking we should," he said. "His group does make all the brochures and handouts."

After Peter left to brief the CMAs on the upcoming meeting, the last topic of discussion was the same as the first: Caius.

This time, instead of deciding whether he would stay with ATS, we needed to determine what to call his new position, who would supervise him, and who would pay him. Of course, Carlisle asked what I thought first.

"Caius's title should be something general," I said. "Because his role will be changing over time. Right now, we need him for conference marketing, but there will be other things we'll need him for in the future. I'm sure of it."

"I like the way you think," Caius said as we laughed.

"I think his title should be something like ATS Associate or ATS Consultant," I said. "ATS should be in the title to show that he's working for the whole company, not just one group."

"I like ATS Associate," Caius said. "I like it a lot. Consultant sounds too much like what I used to do."

"Then welcome aboard as the new ATS Associate," I said.

"I'll work for free," he said quickly. "I don't need the money and ..."

"No, I'm not okay with that," Jake said, interrupting him. "If you work, you should get paid. I don't care how much money you already have."

"I agree," I said. "I can find money in my budget to pay you. I'll..."

"Nonsense," Caius said. "If I'm to be paid, then my salary will come from my son's budget."

"Oh will it now?" Carlisle remarked.

"Yes, it will," Caius replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "If you had the money to pay for this presidential suite you call an office, then you certainly have a few dollars to spare for your dear old dad. We'll work something out."

Again, everyone on my side of the phone and theirs laughed.

"He'll need full benefits too," I said as I grinned. "He'll be working very hard for us."

"Of _course_," Carlisle said sarcastically as everyone in his office cracked up laughing.

"And I'll report to Bella," Caius informed us as it was my turn to laugh.

"So you'll be taking my money, but reporting to Bella?" Carlisle asked, chuckling.

"Yes, that's correct," Caius said. "I'm well aware that I'm difficult, and Bella's the only one who can properly manage me."

"Truer words were never spoken," Carlisle said. "I'll happily pay for you out of my budget if it means I don't have to deal with your attitude."

Jake, Edward, and Rose were laughing so hard they sounded as if they were gasping for air. Clearly, much progress had been made during this meeting to begin to repair the strained relationship between Caius and his niece and nephew.

"So this is really official?" I asked when everyone finally stopped talking and laughing. "Because I'm about to send an e-mail. Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"Send it," Carlisle said, sounding truly pleased. "It's a done deal."

"All right," I said. "Pleasure doing business with you. Welcome to the operations team, Caius."

"Thanks, boss," he replied as we ended the call in laughter.

"Excellent job, Madam," New Business said. I grinned and shrugged my shoulders.

"Finding solutions," I said. "It's what I do."

"Those Cullen brats are very lucky to have you," Maggie said as she continued her knitting.

"Thank you," I said, very tickled by her compliment.

In minutes, my phone rang.

"That's either Jasper, Gianna, or Alice," Emmett said with a smirk.

"The word couldn't have spread that fast," Maggie said dubiously.

"On my team, yes it could," I said as I answered Alice's call.

"Hey, boss," she said. "I'm here with Jasper, Logan, and Gianna."

"I know you're calling to thank me for giving Caius a traveling job," I began as they howled with laughter.

"But before you do, I want to say thank you for keeping everything together while I was out," I said sincerely. "You've all done a fantastic job."

"Sheesh, what an ego," Alice said. "Life does manage to go on, with or without you."

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like the building fell down because you weren't here," Jasper said.

"It was hard, but _somehow_ I managed to do my whole entire job without you here," Gianna said, piling on with the others.

"Even though I missed you holding my hand, I found the courage to survive the week," Logan said, barely able to keep from laughing.

"Okay, fine. Be like that," I said. "It must've been four other people who complained all week because Caius wouldn't leave them alone. Maybe I won't send him out on the road after all."

They fell over themselves talking and laughing.

"I don't know how his wife does it," Jasper said. "He just won't shut up."

"Every time I turned around he had Tucker and Ricky rearranging his office," Logan said as I cackled. "I kept praying they wouldn't quit because of him."

"He's really gotten under Carlisle's skin," Gianna said with glee. "He keeps coming up with names for Carlisle's office."

"I've already heard him call it the penthouse, the Palace of Versailles, and the presidential suite," I said as they laughed anew.

"He's got a few others," Alice said. "Like the Taj Mahal."

"Windsor Castle," added Jasper.

"And don't forget St. Peter's Basilica," Logan said as I continued to laugh. "It makes Carlisle _so _mad, but Caius won't stop."

"He kept asking me to schedule shit for him," Alice said. "I kindly reminded him that I'm not his assistant anymore."

I wanted to ask her what he could possibly have asked her to schedule, but I couldn't: I was too busy laughing.

"He even helped me set up a meeting room yesterday," Gianna said. "Really, he watched me do it, talked the whole time, and ate some of the food off the catering tray, but still, I guess it was nice to have a little company while I worked."

"I feel for all of you," I said as I wiped my eyes which had teared up from laughing so hard. "I really do. He's a handful."

"At least he'll be gone half the time now," Jasper said.

"Any other news?" I asked. "Stuff you didn't want to put in e-mail? I'm all ears."

"There's already drama," Alice said eagerly.

"I can't wait to hear," I said.

"Me neither," said Emmett, whose voice was met with a loud round of greetings.

They filled us in on all the latest gossip, which for the most part, thankfully, was outside of the operations team. No matter how much things had improved at ATS, we were still people and - - thanks to a little thing called human nature - - there would always be rumors and conflict.

"The only problem I've noticed in my group is my admin," Jasper said seriously.

"Nora?" I asked in surprise. "She seemed so sweet in the interviews."

"Her nose is out of joint because all the admins on the other teams got their own offices and she's in a cubicle," Alice said.

"You have got to be kidding," I said as the others laughed. "I _hope_ she complains about it to me. I'll happily remind her that she didn't even have a cubicle or anything else before she came here because she wasn't working at all."

"Speak that truth," Alice said, causing us all to laugh.

"Those cubicles are freaking huge," I said. "Esme even put accessories and artwork in some of them. Nora's got some nerve."

"I said that in not so many words," Jasper said with a chuckle. "But I've got my eye on her."

"Well, Nick and Felice love their little area," Logan said of the new operations team and floating admin assistants who'd been assigned to sit in a cubicle pod right beside her office.

"That's because they're fucking high on life," Gianna said as we screamed with laughter. "I've never seen two happier people."

"Watch that mouth, Mrs. McCarty," yelled Maggie as we laughed all over again.

"Sorry, Maggie," Gianna said, still laughing and not sounding sorry in the least, "didn't realize you were there."

"They are a_ little _excited to be here," Logan said. "But I appreciate their enthusiasm. The only problem I've had is with Lizzie and Riley. I had to have a little meeting with them yesterday."

"Are they bothering Tucker and Ricky?" I asked, not surprised in the least.

"You know it," she said.

Despite the wishes of their overeager relatives who'd insisted they could start right away, Tucker and Ricky - - Lizzie's son and Riley's little brother, respectively - - had given notice at their previous jobs: the gas station in Tucker's case, and in Ricky's, his father's painting company.

They'd both just started working this past Monday, the 21st. Before they arrived, Logan and I were able to order in some equipment and supplies we thought they'd need, and nail down exactly what we planned for them to do. So far, despite a degree of hovering by their mother and brother, the guys had been doing a great job and had even put in overtime this past weekend to help us finish the move.

"I caught Riley the other day scolding Ricky about where he was delivering a package," Logan said.

"He's been putting the mail and the packages exactly where we asked him too," I said with a sigh.

"I know," Logan said. "Then, yesterday I overheard Lizzie telling Tucker he can't keep coming to work in jeans and that he needed to take the job more seriously."

Again, I sighed. "We got special permission from the chiefs for that," I said.

Because lifting and moving heavy packages, crates of paper, and furniture was part of the job description for the operations associates, I talked to the chiefs about what Tucker and Ricky could wear. We all agreed that they could wear clean black jeans and all-black sneakers or work boots if they wanted to, provided they weren't ripped up, stained, holey, or dirty. We also said they could wear long- or short-sleeved knit polo-style shirts. Both guys had thus far come to work looking very professional and presentable.

"I'm so glad we decided not to have one of them sit upstairs," I said. "If we'd have put one of them up there, he'd have been nagged to death."

"I know," Logan said. "I called Lizzie and Riley in and basically told them to back off."

I had to laugh: Logan wasn't quite as diplomatic as I was and I was sure she'd used some colorful language when she'd spoken with Lizzie about her son and Riley about his little brother. Her no-nonsense attitude was one of the reasons I'd asked Logan to manage the general admin team, and so far, she was doing an amazing job.

"I can't speak for Riley," Gianna said with a laugh, "but Lizzie got your message loud and clear. She was only trying to help though. She doesn't want him to mess this up. This is a great job for him, especially considering how young he is."

Talk quickly turned to me and New Business and when we'd be back to work.

"I'm back on Monday for sure," I said.

"Thank you, heavenly father," said Logan as I laughed heartily.

"I go to the doctor on Monday," Emmett said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to go to work Tuesday."

"What a slacker," Alice said playfully.

"Men are the _worst_ when they're sick," Gianna said. "Especially when their last name is McCarty."

"Men are total babies sometimes," Logan said with a smile in her voice. "The slightest little cold and the world has to stop for them."

"Et tu, Logan?" New Business asked as we cracked up laughing again. "I haven't even met you yet."

"In defense of the male population," Jasper said, "we have to do so damn much for y'all every single day, that it's nice to be taken care of once in a while. You can't really blame us."

"Speak that truth," said New Business, mimicking Alice's words from moments ago and causing everybody on both sides of the phone to completely lose it. My stomach hurt from laughing so much as I collapsed back against the sectional, cackling all the while.

"I think I'm done working for the morning," I said, still grinning, when I ended the call.

"Good," Emmett said. "I want to take a little walk outside and I might need some help."

"Maggie, is Harry available?" I asked with a straight face as mother and son guffawed.

"So that's how it is," New Business said, flashing his dimples in an obvious attempt to sway me. "Okay, I'll spell it out. I want you to take a walk with me. Just down the sidewalk to that bench at the corner. To see how I do."

"It's not raining," Maggie said. "It would be nice for both of you to get some fresh air."

"If I were you, I wouldn't be so eager to let me out of the house," I said to the still-grinning New Business. "I might make a run for it."

"If you didn't leave after shitty clothes day, I got nothing to worry about," he replied smugly as I howled with laughter.

"Speak that truth," said Maggie, causing me to double over. We laughed until we were practically in tears.

"Fine," I said when I could breathe again. "I'll get our coats."

I held the hand of the man I loved, matching his slow and careful steps, as we walked down the sidewalk in front of our building.

"That walk never seemed that long before," New Business said as he collapsed onto the bench and tried to catch his breath.

"You did great," I said. "You're getting there."

My comment earned me another grin and dimples flash, and we shared a slow kiss.

"Do you know how lucky I am to have you?" he asked as his eyes burned into mine. "Do you know how thankful I am that you stayed with me this week?"

"I know that you're lucky and thankful," I replied. "I try not to boast, but I'm well aware of how awesome I am."

"I love you, Madam," he said with a broad grin.

"I love you too," I replied.

I felt quite strongly that if we'd made it through this month and this week, then we'd make it through anything. And that thought was more than enough to buoy me through another hectic day of doing my job from home as I helped care for the love of my life.

* * *

**A/N: **A few notes:

**1. Chapter: **Some of you have said that you like the super-long chapters, so I don't feel bad anymore lol. You have no one to blame but yourselves for this one, the longest yet ;0p

**2. Title:** "Moving and Shaking" refers to ATS 'moving' and the 'shaking' of our poor, sick New Business :)

**3. Flu medication: **I didn't/don't intend for this chapter to be an endorsement of Tamiflu or flu vaccinations. However, Tamiflu is an approved flu treatment (though its actual merits have been questioned), and many people do swear by flu shots, so the story is just a reflection of a slice of life.

**4. **Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

**P.S. **No, this is not the last chapter even though the last paragraph does read with a certain finality :)


	16. Chapter 16: Better Homes and Showers

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 16:  
Better Homes and Showers**

**BPOV**

Title: **Planning Meeting  
**When: **Tue May 14, 2013, 3:30pm - 4:00pm**  
Where: Rose Hale's Office  
Who: Alice Brandon, Bella Swan, Rose Hale  
Going? **Yes **- - Maybe - - No

"I have no idea what this meeting is about," I mumbled as I checked my schedule for the day. "When in doubt, call Alice."

"Good morning," she said when she answered her phone. "What's up?"

"What's this 3:30 meeting with Rose?" I asked.

"No idea," she replied. "But I answered yes for both of us anyway. She's tight with information. She wouldn't tell me if I asked."

"I forgot who we were dealing with," I said with a laugh. "Thanks. I'll see you soon for our meeting."

I'd just hung up the phone when Carmen from finance knocked on the door. She didn't normally make a point of stopping by my office, so her visit definitely piqued my curiosity.

"Good morning," I said. "How are you?"

"I'm very well," she replied as she sat down in front of my desk. "I know you're busy, but I have to ask you something."

"Sure," I said. "My door is always open, except when it's locked."

Carmen laughed at my little joke before she asked her question.

"Did I see you at the Littlesea Park and Ride this morning?"

So, _that's_ what she wanted to know. With relief, I happily answered.

"Yes. I was the lost soul trying to figure out which bus to get on," I said.

"I thought that was you," she said as she grinned. "I was looking for a parking spot when I saw you get on the bus. I'm usually on that one, but I was running late and I missed it. Do you live in Littlesea?"

"Emmett and I just bought a new house there," I said proudly. "We officially finished moving in over the weekend."

"Congratulations," she said with a genuine smile. "My husband and I have lived there for about ten years now. It's a great area. Where's your house, if you don't mind me asking?"

If I made a list of the biggest gossips at ATS, Carmen would be at the very bottom of it. I didn't mind talking with her at all.

"Alder Terrace," I replied.

"I know just where that is," she replied. "I'm about ten minutes away from you on Sitka Street, on the other side of the Park and Ride. That community sold out fast."

"Tell me about it," I said. "We really liked one house, but I wanted my mom to see it before we signed anything. She flew in from Phoenix the next day and it was already sold. But that turned out to be for the best because when we looked at the house we ended up buying, we liked some of the features a little better."

"Everything works out like it's supposed to," she said.

"That's how we feel," I said. "Our realtor told us that the units are selling out as fast as they make them available. There's another whole part that's still under construction, but they're done building where we are. There's nothing but woods behind us. We love it."

"Development slowed not long after we moved there, but it's picked back up with a vengeance," she said. "My husband and I are fascinated by how much the town has grown. What made you choose Littlesea? I'm just curious."

"We wanted to stay in the city, but we also wanted a lot of space for when our families visit," I replied. "Emmett wanted a brand-new house so we wouldn't have to worry about fixing anything for a while. We found out fast that anything large and new in the city was way out of our price range."

"Housing prices are going right back up again," she said. "You should be glad you bought when you did."

"We are," I said. "We decided that we'd have to look outside of the city. Our realtor showed us a few new developments, some to the north of the city, some to the south. In the end, we liked the amount of house we could get for the money in Littlesea."

"You really can't beat it," she said. "The commute's better from the east where we are too. Mind you, it's still bad, but it's a little better than some other areas."

"So far, we love it," I said. "We still can't believe we have a house."

"You said that Emmett wanted a new house," she said. "Did you?"

"Honestly, I always imagined living in some older home that we could restore," I said with a chuckle. "A place with a little history and character."

Carmen laughed quite loudly. "That's all well and good for people who don't have insanely busy jobs," she said.

"Exactly," I replied as I laughed too. "We saw a few older homes and when I found out how much work would have to be done just to get them to pass inspection, I realized I didn't have the time. I got onboard the new house train pretty quick. The biggest thing I wanted was plenty of space inside for our family."

"Were you worried about the commute?" she asked.

"I was," I replied. "But everybody kept telling me that wherever we lived, I'd be able to take the bus in to work. I drove yesterday, just to see how bad it would be. It was awful."

"I only drive here anymore if I need to leave early," she said. "The buses can use the high-occupancy lanes and you get here much faster. I've been doing it for years. Even before I worked here, my old job was downtown too."

"That's good to hear," I said.

Carmen appeared ready to settle in and question me for the entire morning, but I needed to go.

"I need to head out. I have an exec team meeting," I said.

"Sorry," she said. "I got so excited when I saw you this morning. I rushed right here; I haven't even been to my desk yet. I'll see you on the bus I'm sure. Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Thank you," I said with a smile as I prepared for the meeting.

I tried to focus in Carlisle's office with the exec team but my talk with Carmen stirred up all my feelings about making such a permanent move with New Business. He broached the subject of buying a house together; I could recall the conversation like it was yesterday.

In mid-February, a few weeks after his nasty bout with the flu, Emmett and I visited Charlie and Sue in Forks. On the ride back home, New Business decided that we needed to talk.

**~ * NBG * ~**

We pulled out of the driveway of Charlie's new house, and I showed Emmett a quicker way to get back to the highway. Before long, we settled into an easy silence. After an hour or so, New Business cleared his throat and spoke.

"I want to talk about some stuff on the way back," he said.

"I'm listening," I said. "What's on your mind?"

"I saw the lease renewal letter at the apartment," he said. "How come you didn't say anything?"

"I've been meaning to," I said. "But you know how it is; we're busy and something else always comes up. I left it out so you could see it."

Again, he cleared his throat, then glanced at me nervously before turning back to the road.

"Do you want to renew it?" he asked.

"I planned to," I replied.

He took a deep breath and continued staring at the road ahead as he drove.

"I was thinking we shouldn't renew it," he said. "I think we should get a house together."

"That lease is up at the end of April," I said skeptically. "That's just a little over two months from now. I seriously doubt we could find a place and move in that quick."

"Forget about the timing," he said. "What do you think about us getting a house together? I feel like the longer we stay in the apartment, the more settled we'll be. If we're gonna settle in somewhere, it might as well be a house. Our house."

I took a few moments to process my thoughts, which clearly bothered him.

"Just tell me something," he said anxiously. "I'm dying here. What do you think?"

"I'm not against the idea," I said. "But I _am_ worried about the timing. With our jobs, there's just no way we could get it done in two months."

"I see what you're saying," he said, sounding very relieved. "I just can't see renewing that lease for another year when we could have our own place. The letter said something about a six-month lease, but even that seems too long."

"I'll call the rental office," I said. "They've been really flexible. What if we could renew it for three or four months? If they would do it, that would give us five or six months to find a house and move in. I'd feel more comfortable with that."

"I think that could work," he said after he thought for a few moments. "Then we wouldn't feel as rushed, like you said, and we could find the perfect place."

"And we could work out how much money we want to spend, and how much we want to put as a deposit," I said.

"I already opened an account to save money for a house," he said quietly, casting me another furtive glance.

"Why am I not surprised?" I remarked with a chuckle.

"When you took over Angie's lease I told you I'd help you," he said. "But I thought about it, and I knew I couldn't just give you a check every month; you'd never cash it."

"You know me well," I said.

"I do," he replied as he grinned. "So I opened another savings account and I've been putting money in it just for a house. If you want to make it a joint account, I'd be okay with that."

"I'm glad you brought this up," I said. "We need to talk about this. I think we _should_ have a joint account for stuff related to the house. But I'm always keeping my own checking account too. I don't think I'd ever be comfortable putting all our money in one big pool."

"I kinda feel the same way," he said, again in relief. "I mean, if you wanted us to only have one account, I guess I would've thought about it, but I don't see why it's necessary so long as we keep enough money in the joint account for all the house expenses. We can talk about it more if we have kids or something, but I like that idea for now."

"I agree," I said. "Now if you show up at home with a Lamborghini one day, then..."

He guffawed, thus interrupting my comment.

"You won't have to worry," he said when he settled down. "I don't spend my money on super-expensive shit like that."

"Glad to hear it," I said with a laugh.

Suddenly, he left the highway and pulled into a restaurant parking lot. He parked, then turned to face me.

"Are we eating?" I asked in surprise. I hadn't expected him to stop at all on the way back.

"No," he said with a very determined expression. "I wanted to look at you when I say this."

I unbuckled my seatbelt so that I could face him too.

"You always say that I shouldn't feel responsible for my whole family," he said. "But I do."

I attempted to tell him that it didn't matter what I thought, it was his family, but he cut me off as soon as I began to speak.

"It does bother you," he said, "because you've made a bunch of comments about it. I've been lucky to have a job that pays really well, and I'm always gonna help Ma. I put money in her account every month. You need to know that because I'm not gonna stop."

I remained silent, and listened to his impassioned plea.

"Ma's only fifty-four," he said. "She's supposed to get money from my dad's pension plan, but the company he worked for got sold and the new company doesn't want to pay the spouse benefits. That's all a big fucking mess right now."

"And if she's due any Social Security, she's too young to start getting it anyway," I said. "We had to deal with some of that stuff with my grandparents on my mom's side."

"You see where I'm coming from then," he said as I nodded. "She could work, but I don't want her out here looking for a job when she doesn't have to. She's a little pushy sometimes, but I wouldn't be anything without her. She's had a hard life, and I want her to be happy. I want you to understand that because it's not going to change. I'll always help her."

"I understand," I said softly. "I would never ask you to stop helping her. If my mom needed help, I'd do the same thing. You don't have to say anymore. It's really not my business."

"It_is_," he said fervently. "Because you and I will have our own family some day and I don't want you to resent me for helping Ma. If you have a problem with it, say something now."

"It's fine," I said. "Really. I _am_ glad you told me because you're right: I should know."

"Do you have any money things you wanna tell me about?" he asked.

"No," I replied. "I was the only child and the only grandchild and I've never wanted for money. Neither side of my family was super rich, but they always helped me. I don't have any major debts, just my car, car insurance, and my monthly bills like phone and utilities."

"I don't have any debts either," he said. "Just monthly bills, like you said. My car's paid off and I've paid all my school loans."

"A house will be a major expense," I said. "You're really serious about it? It doesn't get much more permanent than that."

"I am," he said. "You know how I feel about you."

"I do," I said with a smile. "Since we're moving, do you have somewhere in mind? I still don't know Seattle very well."

"I kind of like it where Emily's moving," he said. "I really like their house. I know you haven't seen it yet, but I think you'd like it. I wanna be near the boys."

Maggie mentioned to me not too long ago that Emily and Brett had found a house down the street from Angie's school, and they got it. That might've been what started Emmett thinking about moving in the first place.

"It would be nice to be that close to Angie too," I said. "I like the neighborhood."

"The schools are really good there too," he said quickly before looking away.

I couldn't let that comment slide.

"Why would we need to worry about schools?" I asked innocently.

He cocked his head to the side and grinned at me. "For when we have kids."

"You still want children with me?" I asked with a smirk.

"Let's see how the first one turns out," he said as I cackled. "If it's too much like you, we might have to stop. I might not be able to handle it."

While I continued to laugh, he spoke again, much more seriously.

"You know I want it all with you," he said. "Marriage, kids, everything. Just not right this second. I like how we are right now, other than working too much."

"I do too," I said as he started the car and we made our way back home.

**~ * NBG * ~**

New Business contacted Emily and Brett's realtor who was more than happy to work with us. The apartment manager said that I could go month to month after the lease ran out in April, which worked perfectly because we only needed the one extra month, May. We moved out of the apartment completely and officially this past weekend.

Once I wrapped my mind around the whole idea of buying a house with Emmett, and talked with my parents, I wanted to make sure we got the right home. He did too, and really took charge of the search process.

"_Most of those places were too small, or need too much work," Emmett said after our first weekend of looking at houses for sale in Angie, Emily, and Brett's neighborhood. _

"_I agree," I said. "I don't know exactly what I want, but I do know I want enough room for all my parents to stay at the same time if they want. And Maggie and Harry too." _

_New Business agreed. "Now that we've seen some places, I think I want something new or just a few years old," he said. "We make good money, but that doesn't mean we wanna spend it all fixing up a house."_

"_We might not be able to stay as close to your family as you wanted," I said carefully, wondering what his reaction would be. _

"_I think you're right," he said. "And you know what? I'm okay with that. As long as we can drive to them within a half an hour to an hour, I'm good." _

So we expanded our search and one day, our realtor called to tell us that Alder Terrace was nearing completion and had put some of its homes up on the market.

"_I've been waiting for this," she said excitedly. "I think it's perfect for you two. We have to act fast."_

Like I'd told Carmen, I wanted my mom to physically see the house with us before we signed anything. She'd come as fast as she could but the first house we liked sold quickly.

"_Don't worry," our realtor said. "They have a few more units just coming open now. They're not quite done with construction but they will be by the time you close."_

And that's how we found our house, which was about as close to perfect for us as we could get. Outside, a driveway led up to a two-car garage and the house featured a little yard with a dark wood fence all around.

Inside there were two levels. Four bedrooms, a leisure room, and two bathrooms - - one in the master bedroom and one in the hall - - comprised the upstairs. The main floor downstairs included a huge living room, a dining room, a large open kitchen, and two more rooms that we had the ability to alter: a powder room and a multi-purpose room.

"_It's much bigger than a den," our realtor said. "It can be converted to a fifth bedroom and the powder room can be changed to three-quarter bathroom with a shower too."_

We went with both of those options, with Maggie in mind.

"_If Ma stays for a little while, she won't have to worry about going up and down those steps," Emmett said. "Her knees bother her sometimes." _

"_I have no problem with that at all," I said. "Then she's got the shower right downstairs too."_

The guys' favorite spot by far was the last downstairs space, which the realtor referred to as an outdoor room.

"_This is basically a sunroom," Charlie explained, like I couldn't see for myself. "The only difference is, there's no screen door; the whole back wall is open to the outside. You got a roof on it and a deck floor too. I could sit out here all day." _

"_This is like another room in the house," Phil said, looking around the space in awe. "It's even got recessed lighting. You can put some real nice furniture out here and it's not directly out in the elements so it'll last. I fucking love this." _

"_You can put a grill out here, cook out, do whatever," Harry said as he carefully examined every detail of the room, smiling and shaking his head. "This is perfect." _

"_They make outdoor TVs now," Liam said with a ridiculous grin. "We could watch games out here."_

"_I'm calling this room for the guys," Emmett said, looking entirely too happy. "You can have the leisure room."_

"_Fine with me," I said as I left them planning all the things they would do with __**their **__room._

We requested a few other minor changes as well, and much faster than I'd ever expected, we'd become homeowners.

Our parents were clearly touched that we'd made a point of having enough space for them. Sue and Charlie had their own room too, as did Renée and Phil. They'd all helped us move in over the weekend, and everybody brought their own clothes and toiletries to leave in the house.

"_I like this," Charlie said as he unpacked his suitcase and placed several pairs of jeans and a few tee shirts and sweatshirts into a drawer. "If Sue gets on my nerves, I can just come down here." _

"_Because that's what'll happen. I'll get on your nerves first," Sue said, rolling her eyes, as the rest of us howled with laughter. _

I thought Maggie might be a little upset that her room was downstairs, but she couldn't have been happier about it.

"_This is great," she said with glee as she slid a box she'd filled with sweaters under the bed. "I feel like I'm on vacation over here." _

"_I may bring a few things to leave here myself," Harry said. "I've got some friends who live out this way." _

In addition to my parents, all of the McCartys, plus Brett and Harry, helped us with the final move this past weekend, as did Alice, Jasper, Angie, and Ben. Having so many hands on deck made the move go so much faster. We'd finished unpacking and sorting like we always did: with lots of laughs. I looked forward to many, many more gatherings with our family and friends... in our home.

* * *

"Anything else?" Carlisle asked when we wrapped up the exec team meeting.

We shook our heads, and I kept an eye on Rose, who looked ready to bolt out of her seat.

"Thanks, everyone," Carlisle said. "Edward, please stay. We need to discuss the new sales goals."

Jake left immediately and Rose stood to follow him.

"Rose, what's your planning meeting about this afternoon?" I asked as her hand touched the door.

"It's a meeting, to plan something," she said without batting an eye.

"Funnily enough I figured that out for myself," I replied as the guys laughed.

"It's not exactly related to a work matter," she said. "I thought later in the day would be a good time to talk."

"We might as well do it now," Edward said.

"Time_ is_ ticking," Carlisle said.

"You two know about it?" I asked suspiciously. "What's going on?"

Rose sighed, but shut the door to Carlisle's office and sat back down.

"We want," she began before shaking her head. "We need... we would _like_ your help..."

"And Alice's," Carlisle interjected.

"Yes, Alice too," Rose said.

Since his cousin was clearly having difficulty speaking her mind for once, Edward spoke for her.

"We need to plan a baby shower for Esme," he said quickly. "And quite frankly, we don't know what the hell to do."

"I see," I said as I looked around the room at the cousins. "Alice should be available now. Could you call her, Carlisle?"

He did and Edward was the first to speak while we waited for her.

"I know you have something to say," he remarked. "I can see it. You're smirking already."

I laughed, as did Rose and Carlisle. "I'm saving all my questions and comments until Alice gets here," I said.

So _so_ many thoughts floated through my head as they chatted amongst themselves about the baby while we waited. I could only imagine the family drama that would ensue at the shower.

"You rang?" Alice asked when she entered the office. Carlisle, Rose, and Edward cracked up laughing, while I patted the chair beside me.

"Have a seat," I said with a grin. "I think we're going to be here a while."

"Is this about the 3:30 meeting?" Alice asked, catching on right away.

"Yes, it is," Rose said. "I hope you don't mind Edward and Carlisle being here too, but it's actually a family issue and that's why I'd planned to talk about it later in the day. We're sorry to take up your time with family problems."

"We know we're not supposed to do that anymore," Edward said.

"But we really need your help," Carlisle said. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"We will mind if you don't get to the point," I said as the others laughed.

"We need to throw a baby shower for Esme and we don't know where to start," Rose said.

"There hasn't been a baby born in our family for years," Edward said. "The few other friends we have don't have kids either."

"Isn't Esme due in a few weeks?" I asked, voicing the first thought that had popped into my head.

"Yes," Carlisle replied with wide eyes. "June third."

"And nobody gave her a shower yet?" Alice asked, looking just as stunned as I was.

"Well, that's the thing," Edward said. "_Her_ family gave her a shower a month ago."

"But we just found out about it," Rose said as her eyes flashed in anger. "They didn't even invite us. We heard it sucked anyway."

"Esme didn't tell you herself?" I asked Carlisle.

"She said she didn't want to cause anymore drama," he said with a sigh. "We just found out from Tanya."

Alice and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. She might not work here anymore, but it was clear they were all still in contact with Tanya and her big mouth.

"Didn't you realize that your family should have a shower for her at some point?" I asked as delicately as I could.

"I thought friends gave those sorts of things," Carlisle said defensively. "A few of her friends and design colleagues _did_ give her one. We didn't know families gave them too."

I shouldn't have been surprised: the dumb-ass-ness ran deep in their family.

"None of your mothers thought to give her one?" Alice asked.

"My mother mentioned it, but I told her Esme's friend was giving one," he said. "Mother's not exactly fond of Esme so she didn't press the issue."

"There's bad blood with our families," Edward said. "It's a long story."

Again, Alice and I exchanged glances but they were too wrapped up in themselves to notice this time.

"They have some fucking nerve doing this to us," Rose said viciously to Edward, looking angrier by the second. "They'll be sorry. You wait until Mother..."

"Excuse me," I said sweetly, "I thought you were turning over a new kindler, friendlier leaf?"

Everyone laughed, even Rose.

"Just because I don't have an issue with you anymore doesn't mean I've changed completely," she said.

"I actually agree with Rose on this," Carlisle said with a hard expression. "Having that shower without at least inviting me wasn't right. But it's not important now. We need to throw Esme a shower from us, and fast."

"We thought about hiring someone to do it," Edward said, "but that seemed too formal."

"We tried to look online, but there's so much. It was overwhelming," Carlisle said.

"Why didn't you ask your mothers?" I asked. "I bet they'd love to plan something like this."

Edward and Carlisle rolled their eyes, while Rose's smug expression indicated that she'd said the same thing I just had.

"My mother would be more than happy to plan it," Edward said. "And if she did, we'd have a repeat of what happened when she got involved with the holiday party. Nobody wants that."

That comment knocked the smug expression off of Rose's face.

"Rose said she'd plan it, but Edward and I want to help too," Carlisle said. "But all three of us realize that we really need your help. We want to do something this weekend. Esme could go into labor at any time."

"I'm not really clear on what you're asking us to do," I said.

"Me neither," Alice said. "Do you want us to give you pointers, or do you want us to plan the whole thing, then show up and set it up?"

"Whatever you're willing to do," Carlisle said. "We want it to be like a real baby shower, not some stuffy formal affair like it would be if our mothers planned it."

"We know this is really short notice," Rose said, "but we figure you two have at least attended these things before. We haven't."

It seemed unbelievable to me that they didn't know anyone who'd had a baby recently, but I'd learned from working with them that - - outside of work - - they didn't interact with many people who weren't in their small wealthy circle of family and friends.

"Bella and I need to figure out what we have going on this weekend," Alice said. "Can we have a minute?"

"Sure," Carlisle said.

Alice stood and I followed as Carlisle talked with Rose and Edward. We shut the door and walked to a far corner of the huge lobby area outside of Carlisle's office.

"I feel sorry for Esme," I said, "but I don't feel like this is my problem. Why should we have to give up our personal time to help them?"

"Because we actually like their stuck-up asses now and you know it," she said as I laughed.

That was actually a true statement: I certainly wouldn't call Carlisle, Edward, and Rose friends in the same way I was friends with Angie, Alice, and Gianna, but there was no disputing the fact that I'd grown quite fond of the trio, especially these past few months. Time had made us all more comfortable with each other and the entire executive team had a very good working relationship.

"Besides, it's the right thing to do," Alice said. "Can you imagine the fucked-up shower their family would put together? Nobody deserves that, not even Esme."

"Oh, stop being so rational," I said as we both laughed. "So what're you thinking? I guess I could spare some time on Sunday. No way am I doing it on Saturday."

"That'll work for me too," she said. "Let's say we do it noon to three on Sunday. I can handle the games if you do the food."

"I can make some great appetizers," I said. "I'll talk to Angie too because they just had three babies in Ben's family and she went to all the showers."

"Good," she said. "Your mom will still be here too, right? We'll need backup to deal with their snobby mothers."

"I like how you think," I said as we turned to walk back to the office. "And one last thing."

"What?" Alice asked.

"We are _so_ calling Caius when we get back to my desk," I replied.

Trying hard to contain our laughter, we went back in and shared our plan.

"I can't thank you both enough," Carlisle said after he and his cousins readily accepted our offer of help.

"Here's some money," he said. "I was going to give this to Rose for your meeting later, but you're here now."

He pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. Inside, I found a stack of one hundred dollar bills.

"That's two thousand dollars," Carlisle said. "Is that enough?"

"I have some too," Edward said, reaching for his wallet before I raised my hand to stop him.

"This is plenty," I said with a chuckle.

"Are you sure?" Rose asked. "If not, just let us know."

"That'll be plenty," Alice said. "Unless you're bringing more people than the family."

"No, no," Carlisle said quickly. "I don't think there will be more than twenty-five people."

"I don't think there will be that many," Rose said.

"I guess it's going to be a co-ed shower?" Alice asked.

"Aren't they usually?" Edward asked in surprise.

"No," I said. "But it's not a big deal. Where will it be? I don't think anyone's said."

"My house," Rose said. "I'll send directions."

"Do you mind if I ask Gianna?" I asked, knowing she would hate to miss this. "She was fond of Esme; I think she'd like to come."

"Logan too," Alice said quickly.

"That's fine," Carlisle said. "I think it'll make Esme feel good to have some representation from ATS. She thinks everyone here hates her."

Well, the people who'd been around long enough to remember her didn't exactly have kind feelings toward her, myself included. Nonetheless, the woman deserved a decent shower.

"Send out an invitation to your guests right now," Alice said. "Let them know where she's registered too."

Rose nodded and scribbled down notes on her notepad.

"You should really think about inviting Esme's family, even though they didn't invite you," I said. "Be the bigger people, and try to work things out for the baby's sake."

"Yes, I think that's an excellent idea," Rose said with a wicked grin, clearly missing my point.

"If you need anything else, just let me know," Carlisle said as we stood to leave.

"One more thing," I said, suddenly remembering that I'd volunteered to make the food. "What kind of food does Esme like? Is she craving anything in particular?"

"Mexican," he said without hesitation. "That's all she's eating these days."

Back in my office, Alice and I could barely stop laughing long enough to call in Logan and Gianna, then dial Caius. He was in Denver this week at a convention with the conference marketing team.

"Thank you for my morning laugh," he said. "I don't miss the family drama."

"You should come to the shower," Alice said. "It's your grandson after all."

"I think I may just do that," he replied as our mouths fell open. "This has the potential to be highly entertaining. I'll talk to Dora, but plan on us being there."

"We'll put you on the guest list," I said as I ended the call and turned to the others.

"I'm so glad you asked if I could go," Gianna said giddily. "I'd have been pissed if I missed out."

"Me too," Logan said. "There's going to be at least one major argument. Count on it."

"Poor little Chancellor," I said as I shook my head.

"Chancellor?" they asked in unison.

"The baby's name is Chancellor Emerson Cullen," I said.

"How fucking pretentious," Logan said as she laughed.

"That's a mouthful for a kid," Gianna said. "He's bound to get his ass kicked at school, just on general principle."

We fell out laughing at her comment; there was never a shortage of laughter on my team.

"This shower is gonna be good," Alice said with a grin.

"I have a serious question though," I said. "What the fuck are we gonna do that'll cost two grand?"

"Hell if I know," Alice said.

"I could plan a shower for fifty people with a hundred bucks," Gianna said.

"I _have_ done that," Logan said. "And we had a kick-ass time too."

"I'll keep half the money for food," I said. "Maggie and I found a bakery on Saturday near the house. They had some theme cakes in the window, but it did look a little pricey. I'll check it out. I'll make some Mexican dishes, and I'll also do some kind of fancy cheese tray or something."

My cooking juices were already flowing; I rarely had a chance to cook for such a large group anymore. I'd just been too busy.

"I can do diaper cake centerpieces," Gianna said. "You roll up diapers and stack them in layers and decorate them with ribbon or however you want. It ends up looking like a wedding cake, but it's all diapers and you stick a toy or something on top."

"That sounds cute," I said with a chuckle. "Can you do it for two hundred?"

"Definitely," she said as I passed her the money. "How many people are coming?"

"They claim only twenty-five people," Alice said. "But I call bullshit on that."

"All their family will be there," Logan said. "What else do they have to do?"

"Let's try to make a list of who we think will come," I said.

"Whatever number you come up with for their family, add four more," Alice said. "They're obviously still friends with Tanya, so she'll be there, probably with her parents and her new boyfriend."

I wrote down what she said, not even questioning how Alice knew that Tanya had a new man, then wrote down a list of all the family members I knew of from all my chats with Caius.

"Okay," I said. "I've got Esme and the chiefs, Caius and his wife, brother, and two sisters, their spouses and kids, plus I put in an estimate of five people for Esme's family, plus the four for Tanya. That comes out to twenty-nine people."

"With the eight of us, that'll make thirty-seven," Alice said as she made a note on her own list.

"Eight?" I asked.

"The four of us," Alice replied. "Plus your mom, and you know Angie will want to be there too and they can help us set up. I'm keeping my niece Sasha this weekend, so she has to come, and I figure Kim will be there too."

"You saved me an argument," Gianna said as we cracked up laughing. "If she sees me making the centerpieces, she'll definitely want to be there."

"So we might as well round that up to forty people," Logan said. "There could be more of their friends that we don't know about. And, I'll do decorations for two hundred, Alex."

We howled with laughter at Logan forming her reply like a Jeopardy contestant asking Alex, the host of the show, for the next clue.

"I'll give you three just in case," I said as I gave her the money. "We're doing this our way, but we still can't show up with plastic tablecloths with this crowd."

Again, they laughed. "Good point," Logan replied.

"I'll do the games," Alice said. "I can't wait to do 'Price is Right' with their rich crowd."

"Is that where you put up a bunch of different items and have people guess the prices?" Logan asked.

"Yup," Alice replied. "It's so much fun with baby stuff, and it'll be hilarious because you know the Cullens don't shop for themselves. They probably get their staff to buy everything."

"They'll be clueless," Gianna said. "We _have_ to do that."

"We need a gift, and I think we should give one big gift for all of us," Logan said. "We're planning this whole thing on short notice; we don't have time to run around for a bunch of different gifts."

"I agree, and Jake would probably want in too," I said.

"And Jasper," Alice said. "I volunteer to get the gift. On the social committee, we've been trying to decide what to get Carlisle for the baby on behalf of ATS. I'll have the committee make a decision and we can give the gift from ATS at the shower too."

"I'll talk to Maggie," Gianna said. "She has bins full of knitting that she's done, and I know she has some baby blankets in there because she just sold some at the craft fair at Henry's school."

"She _is _really good," I said. "She knit some throws for the house and they looked so professional, my mom thought we bought them from a store. They're beautiful. If she's willing to part with some of it, we can pay."

"I think that's a great idea," Alice said. "We can put together a big box of the stuff from Maggie and maybe we get one or two things from Esme's registry."

Jasper and Jake walked by my office just then, talking and laughing. Alice hastily jumped up and brought them inside. We quickly filled them in on the shower.

"Shit, I guess I have to go too," Jake said disgustedly as we cracked up laughing. "It's a family thing, but if all the other chiefs are there, I need to be there too."

"When you put it like that, I think you should be," I said. "Just chip in on the gift and show up, and we won't ask you to do anything else."

"Is fifty bucks enough?" he asked. "We're going to lunch. I can get some cash while I'm out."

"That's fine," Alice said. "We'll put your name on the gift too."

"Thanks," he said. "I would've felt like a real idiot on Monday if I hadn't known about this."

"I absolutely will not be there," Jasper said as we laughed. "But I'll chip in too."

He gave Alice forty dollars before he and Jake left for lunch.

"I think the time and energy the four of us are putting into this should count as our contribution," Alice said. "We've got more than enough money now for a very decent party and gift."

"I agree," I said as Logan and Gianna nodded.

"This is gonna be some party," Logan said as they left the office.

She was absolutely right, and unlike the holiday party, I was very much looking forward to it.

* * *

After the baby shower powwow, I got back to work and soon received a call from Emmett.

"Yes, New Business," I sang. "How may I help you?"

"I just wanted to hear your beautiful voice, Madam Bad-Ass," he replied in an equally happy tone. "Sometimes I think you forget about me."

"Never," I replied in mock indignation. "I _did_ mean to call earlier to tell you how the bus ride was."

"I was wondering," he replied. "You didn't call me cursing or yelling like yesterday when you drove, so I figured it went pretty well."

"It did," I said. "I'll only be driving in if I have to from now on."

"I'm really glad," he said. "I love our house, but I didn't want the commute to be too awful for you."

"What are you up to today?" I asked.

"I'm actually on my way home," he said. "One of my Montana clients is in town and asked if I'd meet with him. I just left him."

"Did he offer you a job too?" I asked, only half joking.

"Yes, he did," Emmett replied.

"Why do people love you so much?" I asked as he guffawed. "You obviously wore me down, so I didn't really stand a chance, but I don't know what it is with these other people. This is like your third or fourth job offer now."

In the last few months, several of the companies Emmett had landed as clients for his job had tried to lure him away, offering him positions with their businesses. I teased him about it, but I was immensely proud of him.

"Now if I could just get an offer that doesn't involve fucking selling or traveling, I'd jump all over it," he said.

"At least you're not traveling as much as before," I said. "Do you like your new schedule, working from home so much? I've never really asked."

"It's different," he said. "I feel like I'm slacking or something, but I'm doing everything I need to do and I still check in at the office."

About midway through last month, in April, Emmett officially reached six months with Summit-Meyer. He'd completed all initial training, so he was now considered a full-fledged new business lead. His entire focus was finding and bringing in new clients in his region. He still traveled, about four or five times in the past month, but now all of his trips were within his region and most were overnight or just for two days.

He no longer had to attend the tech conferences either, and he only went into the office a few times a month now: all of his research and calls could be done from home. This arrangement had really helped during the final stages of home closing because I had to be in the office.

"When do you leave again?" I asked.

"Monday," he said. "I'll be back Wednesday."

"Let me guess. I think it's time for a Montana visit," I said.

I'd picked up on the rotation of the visits to the states in his region.

"You're learning the routine," he said, sounding very impressed.

"I pay attention to at least twenty-five percent of what you do and say," I replied.

"That much, huh?" he asked as we laughed together.

"Guess what?" I said. "Carmen saw me at the Park and Ride this morning. She lives in Littlesea too."

I quickly told New Business about my conversations with her and with the chiefs.

"I always liked Carmen," he said. "I'm sure we'll run into her somewhere in the neighborhood. All I can say about the baby shower is, good luck with that. Where's it gonna be?"

"Rose's house," I said as he chuckled. "If nothing else, we'll have some good stories to tell once we leave."

"What's your afternoon like?" he asked.

"Scheduling," I said. "We finally have people who've lasted at ATS for more than a year. They've accrued vacation time, and believe me, they're all using it. I'm trying to approve all the requests but I have to make sure there's coverage. I thought it would take me no time at all, but it's not as easy as it sounds."

"That's why they pay you the big bucks, chief," he said as I laughed. "I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you too," I replied as we ended the call.

My phone rang again before I could set it down on the desk. This time, it was Phil.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Two quick things," he whispered. "First of all, are you aware that Maggie's doing something to every single one of your brand-new kitchen cabinets?"

"Yes," I said with a grin. "She's putting shelf liners in all the cabinets and drawers. It's fine."

"Whew," he said with relief, causing me to crack up laughing. "She's in her own little world down there, but those cabinets are really nice and I didn't want her messing them up. I almost said something, but I thought I'd check with you first."

"Aww, aren't you a nice stepdaddy?" I said as he laughed.

"Second thing," he said, no longer whispering. "Why the fuck did you give Renée your credit card? She's been shopping since she dropped you off. She called me four times already. She's like an addict who just got a hit."

I burst out laughing and found it hard to stop.

"Now that all the furniture's in, I told her she could accessorize," I said, still laughing. "She did a lot to help us get this house, and she's saving me from wedding planning with Angie and Emily. Letting her loose with my credit card is the least I can do."

"Okay then, chief," he said. "If your mother spends all your money, don't come crying to me."

"I promise, I won't," I said as I continued to laugh. "What's on your agenda for today?"

"When Emmett gets back, we're going out to look at some patio sets for our room," he said as I cackled. "We don't like it looking so bare. We could be out there enjoying it."

"Have fun," I said as we ended the call. My stepfather never failed to amuse me but he did have me a little nervous about just how much my mom was spending. But as I told him, I owed her in a major way.

If there was anyone happier than me and Emmett about the purchase of our home, it was Renée. I hadn't yet given her a baby or a wedding, but this house was something real that she could brag about to her friends in Phoenix and she was all over it.

My mother was currently on her third visit to Seattle since Christmas. She'd come each time to help with the home-buying process, and had already been here for two weeks on this latest trip to help with the move.

In addition to helping me, she'd been acting as sort of a wedding planner to Angie and Emily, much to my delight. I had neither the time nor the inclination to get into the minutiae of their pending nuptials.

We'd known Angie was getting married since Christmas, but Brett and Emily had decided to make it official too. After they'd moved into their house, they'd invited us all to dinner one evening in March. Turned out it was the anniversary of the day they'd met in their therapy group last year, and Brett proposed in front of his family and ours. It was quite a night; I'd never seen Emily so happy.

They both decided they wanted to get married on one of those sightseeing charter boats around the area. They called a few companies and found one they liked; their wedding was set for a little over a month away on June 23.

After Phil's call, I returned to work on the schedules so that my team members could take their hard-earned vacations. It occurred to me that Emmett and I needed to plan one for ourselves. We'd have to get to work on that.

* * *

On Wednesday morning, Carmen called out to me as soon as I stepped onto the bus and by Thursday, I felt like an old pro at riding in to work.

Thursday turned out to be an interesting day because Gianna asked me to lunch. I rarely spent time with her alone, so I was looking forward to it.

"I'm surprised you had time to take a break," I said as we settled into a booth at a restaurant not far from the office.

"That makes two of us," she said. "I thought I'd make the most of the free time."

"I hardly ever get to see you in the office," I said.

"Kim just doesn't get that," she said as we laughed. "She thinks you and I sit around with Alice, talking all day long."

"I'm lucky if I see you once every few days," I said. "I hate to talk about work, but I wanted to ask how you think Reece is doing. I get reports from Logan, but what do you think?"

"She'll be fine," Gianna said. "Her biggest issue is Edward. She clams up big time around him, like she can't believe he's real or something."

"Good thing he tends to ignore most people then," I said as she laughed.

"Exactly," she said. "He pays her no attention at all, but I noticed. She'll get used to him though; other than that, she's been great. I'm glad she's here to handle the tenth floor because I've been swamped up on eleven."

"I'm glad," I said. "I did_ not_ want to go through another round of interviews."

About a month-and-a-half ago, Logan requested that we add a second meeting services rep to the team. I'd approved the request and the first person we hired quit after two days. It had taken quite a few interviews to find a replacement, but Reece was in her second week now and seemed to be doing well.

When I told the exec team that we were adding another person, Carlisle had been very excited to my surprise.

"_Please let me have Gianna up here on eleven," he said. "We hold all of the client meetings and visits up here, and she's excellent."_

"_I guess I can't so no to that," I said with a chuckle. _

"_We have way more meetings up here than you and Edward do downstairs," Rose said. "The new meetings person can take her old office, and Gianna can sit up here, in that corner office in the library. It's bigger in there anyway."_

"_That would be perfect," Carlisle said. "She'd be right outside of my area. Tucker and Ricky can move a desk and phone in there"_

"_I'll talk to Logan," I said._

The waiter brought our lunches and we happily tucked into them.

"It's been_ so_ busy lately," Gianna said. "It means business is doing well so I shouldn't complain."

"Marketing is bringing in so many leads, and sales is turning a good percentage of them into clients," I said. "Let's hope they keep it up."

"I talked to Seth the other day," she said. "He loves going to all the conferences. I don't think he'll want to go back to sales."

"Whitney either," I said. "I think Carlisle getting rid of the new business team in sales is going to be a permanent thing."

Because my conference marketing team was kicking ass and taking names out on the road, last month, Carlisle made the decision to disband the new business team in the sales group. For now, and the rest of this year anyway, marketing was bringing in all new business leads to ATS. The sales team's job was solely to turn those leads into clients and sell them high levels of services.

Edward had no choice but comply, but he'd been livid at the time and still hadn't gotten over it.

"_I want more people at the conferences," Carlisle said. "The numbers after the first three months are crystal clear. Cauis and the CMAs have brought in four times more leads than the new business reps on the sales team. More importantly, the leads from the conferences that we've turned into clients have equaled significantly more money." _

"_My team is doing a great..." Edward said, looking furious. _

"_Your team is doing well," Carlisle said quickly, "I'm not knocking them. But numbers don't lie, and the numbers tell me that there's money at these conferences. That will be our focus for the rest of 2013."_

Rather than hire more conference marketing associates, Carlisle told Edward to choose the best members of his new business team to move to marketing to become CMAs indefinitely. The other members of his new business team would stay in sales, as sales reps. Edward grudgingly assigned Seth and Whitney to marketing, and they made no secret of how happy they were to be a part of my team.

My marketing group was ecstatic about the change too. In February, Carlisle set goals for how many leads he wanted Peter's conference team and Jared's website and promotions team to bring in over the next three months. Both teams exceeded their respective three-month goals in February alone.

At first, I'd given out bonuses to recognize their achievement. However, I quickly realized that they needed some sort of ongoing incentive too since they'd taken over a sales function. So, in addition to their base salaries, they now received commission based on how many leads they brought us. Life in marketing was pretty good right now.

Gianna and I talked about a few more happenings at the office as we ate before she turned decidedly more serious.

"I wanted to take you to lunch for a few reasons," she said. "First, to thank you for giving me a raise. Liam can't believe it."

"You deserved it," I said. "Back in January when I did the first round of reviews, you were still so new that I couldn't justify giving you a raise."

"I understood," she said quickly.

"But you've done a great job," I said. "We have training sessions or client visits almost every day and you keep the meeting rooms in order and manage all the requests. If Logan hadn't requested your increase, I would have when we do your six-month review at the end of the month. You earned it."

"Thank you," she said with a warm smile. "Liam just got a promotion and a raise too, so things are finally getting better for us."

"I'm glad," I said. "Why do I have the feeling that you're working up to something?"

"Because I am," she said with a smirk, "so just shut up and listen."

I laughed, and did as told.

"Liam and I love your house," she said, and I knew instantly what this was about. "We've been worried that Em wouldn't be able to get a place because he loaned us so much money last year. We're just happy we didn't keep you from getting the place you wanted."

I sighed when she reached into her purse and put an envelope in front of me. A few months ago, Liam attempted to pay back some of the money Emmett loaned him last year. He refused to take it but, apparently, the subject of the loan to his brother wasn't quite done.

"If that's what I think it is, I'm not opening it," I said.

"Just here me out," Gianna said. "Yes, this is about the loan. Liam tried to start paying it back but Em wouldn't take it."

"I'm not going to either," I said.

"Bella, please," she said. "You're more reasonable than Em is. We don't like this debt hanging over our heads. We can't pay it all back at once, and this check isn't even for that much, but it's a start. Take it. Please."

"I'm sorry, Gianna, but I'm not taking it," I said. "We don't need it. Emmett wouldn't have loaned the money if he needed it back. Just keep it in savings or something."

"Bella, I thought you would understand," she said.

"I appreciate that you want to pay it back," I said. "I really do. But Emmett helped Liam because he loves him. Not one time since I've known him has he ever said anything about waiting for him to pay this money back. He's not like that."

Gianna looked defeated as I slid the envelope back across the table to her. She stared at it sadly.

"I've never told you what my new salary is, and I'm not going to," I said. "But I make way more now, and Emmett does too. The deposit for the house put a big dent in our savings, but that's what we were saving for anyway. We're not big spenders, so even if one of us lost our job, we'd be okay."

"You never know," she said. "We thought we'd be fine too."

"Emmett and I talk about money, a lot actually," I said. "We'll be fine."

She pursed her lips and stared at me before letting out a sigh.

"Liam said you wouldn't take it," she said. "You're so fucking stubborn, just like Em. But I had to try."

"You did," I said with a chuckle, causing her to finally smile a little. "You're like family to me now, and I hope I'm not making you feel like you owe me anything. You don't."

"You're not making me feel that way," she said. "We're just trying to get our finances in order, and we want to start paying Em back."

"If paying the money back is this important to you, then maybe you could save it for Kim," I said. "For college or beauty school, or whatever. Put the money you were going to pay Emmett into an account for her."

"We've started putting money aside for her again," she said. "We had savings for her a while ago but that was wiped out when we lost our jobs."

"There you go then," I said. "Just add that money to the Kim fund."

She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly, causing me to laugh. She could be mad, but I wasn't taking that check.

"Fine," she replied, "but I _am_ paying for lunch."

"Fine by me," I said with a grin.

We finished our lunch and talked about much more important matters... like the baby shower.

* * *

At home, New Business wasn't surprised in the least when I told him about Gianna.

"You know they'll bring it up again," he said. "Just be prepared. I'm still not taking it. They'd have done the same for me."

We headed downstairs where my mom sat typing up a list of something on my computer.

"How's the wedding planning going?" I asked.

"Wonderful," she said with glee. "Emily really wasn't aware of all the options out there. Maggie and Mary mean well, but they aren't very... aware... of the latest fashion and design trends."

"You can say that again," New Business said with a chuckle, not offended by the comment in the least.

"I'm just helping Emily get what she wants within her price range and in time for the wedding," my mom said. "She's a real sweetheart; she's just so timid but I know she can't help it."

Emily was still shy and extremely anxious around strangers, but even Emmett commented on how comfortable she was with my friends and family now. She'd really come out of her shell around us.

"Ma's not really into all this stuff, like you said, so thanks for helping," New Business replied. "Everybody thought it would be easier having the wedding on that cruise boat, but I knew it sounded too good to be true."

"The cruise wedding coordinator is handling a lot," Renée said. "I'm actually pretty impressed with how much they offer, but there's so much more to weddings than people realize. It'll be fine."

"What about Angie?" I asked. "I know I should be more involved, but..."

"You've had a lot on your plate with work and moving," she said. "Angie understands. Her biggest issue is reigning in Tara, Ben's mother, and their big-time wedding planner."

"With all that money, I bet his mom wants a huge affair," Phil said.

"She says she's happy with whatever Ben wants, but her actions say otherwise," Renée said. "Angie and Ben want to keep it relatively simple but Tara doesn't really do 'simple'. But I wouldn't sit by and let Angel and Beth Weber steamroll over Angie and I'm not going to let Tara and her planner do it either."

"I'm really surprised her mom and sister haven't been down here yet," Emmett said.

"Angel has three little kids, and Mrs. Weber runs the church's outreach programs," I said. "They really can't just pick up and leave that often, as much as they'd like to. Reverend Weber is older and doesn't like to travel much either."

"They've been calling Angie nonstop though," Renée said. "I told her to change her phone number."

"Now how would you feel if I did that to you?" I asked as Phil and Emmett laughed.

"I am nowhere near the nuisance that her mother is," she said. "You have no reason to change your number because of me."

Emmett looked at me and raised an eyebrow as I grinned back at him.

"You just shut up over there," Renée said to him as we laughed.

"I'm very glad that you offered your help because I'd be useless to Angie and Emily," I said. "Maybe I should pay you."

"Brett and Ben _are_ paying me," she said with a huge grin. "They've both already given me money and they told me to keep track of all the hours I'm putting in. I tried to refuse, but they insisted."

"Finally somebody appreciates you," I said.

"_Finally_," she replied as we cracked up laughing.

* * *

On Friday, I woke up tired, grumpy, and agitated, more than ready for the long week to be over. Unfortunately, New Business completely ignored my foul mood, teasing and generally bothering me as I prepared to leave. This had become his regular form of entertainment in the morning. Some mornings, I was amused by his behavior. This was not one of them.

"Aww, how 'bout we turn that frown upside down," he said when I leaned down to kiss him goodbye.

"How 'bout we shut the hell up," I replied as he guffawed.

"Hurry home, sweetums," he said as he openly laughed at me. I finally did crack a smile; it was impossible to stay annoyed with him.

Renée was up, dressed, and waiting for me when I got downstairs.

"What are you doing up so early?" I asked.

"I'm dropping you off again," she said as she held up my keys. "I've got a busy day ahead, and Phil's going out later with the rental. I need your car."

"I'd feel bad that you're doing so much, but you seem really happy," I said as I grabbed my lunch bag from the refrigerator. "I know I haven't said thank you very much since you've been here, but I hope you know how much I appreciate all that you've done for me. I'm serious."

"You're very welcome. It's nice to feel needed," she said as she smiled at me. "You've always been so independent, even when you were a little girl. This is the first time I felt like you really needed me. I like it."

"I do need you," I said. "Not just because you run errands or help my friends when I can't. You see things differently than I do, and it's always good to get your take on things."

"I haven't told you this, but I'm so proud of you, sweetie," she said. "You leaving home and moving here took guts, and look how much has happened for you."

"Thanks, mom," I said softly as I hugged her tightly, very surprised by her candor.

"C'mon on," she said. "Let's get you to work."

"Yeah, you two need to get out," New Business said, suddenly appearing by the door to the garage. "My other girlfriend comes when you leave so let's get a move on."

"Ask that bitch to do some laundry when she gets here," I said as he and my mom cracked up laughing.

"I love you, Madam," he said as he pulled me in for a hug and kissed me.

"I love you too," I replied.

He opened the front door and waved as we pulled off. As I often did, I left for work with a smile on my face, my earlier mood forgotten.

"I like how you are with Emmett now," my mom said. "I've watched you two all these times I've visited. I feel like your relationship is more balanced now. He really loves you. That man would do anything for you."

"He's a great guy," I said. "It's hard to believe that it still hasn't been a year since I moved to Seattle. It feels like I've lived three lifetimes since I've come here."

"You took a chance," she said, "and good things happened for you. I miss you so much, but I'm happy for you. Phil and I, and Charlie too, are so proud of you."

"What exactly do you have to do today?" I asked to change the subject. I didn't need to be mushy and emotional on my way to work.

"I'm off to Starbucks first, then Target," she said. "I'll head over to the mall after that to get us something to wear for the baby shower. Rose wants everyone to wear baby blue or white. I'll pick something up for the both of us. I didn't see anything appropriate in your closet."

"How do you know all this?" I asked.

"Alice," she said with a chuckle. "You're very busy at work, everybody understands. She told Rose that we're all coming to help. We still can't convince Emily to go; I think she's worried it'll be like the holiday party all over again."

"If I remotely thought it would be like that again, I wouldn't be going myself," I said.

"I can't wait," Renée said. "I'm dying to see where Rose lives."

"That makes two of us," I said.

At work, Gianna helped keep my foul mood at bay when she rushed into my office with a huge box in her hands; Logan and Alice were right behind her.

"This is what I got from Maggie," Gianna said as she placed the box down on my desk.

I stood up so that I could look into it with the others.

"There's four receiving blankets, four knit caps, and four sets of booties," Gianna said.

"These are great," Logan said as she gingerly touched one of the blankets. "Look at all the detail she put around the edges."

Alice couldn't stop smiling as she held up one of the little caps.

"I hope Maggie took money for these," I said to Gianna.

"She did," she replied with a smirk. "She still hasn't forgotten what they did to you at the holiday party. She said if it was for anybody else she'd give them away, but not for the Cullens."

I laughed along with the others as we more closely examined the contents of the box. Each set of three - - one blanket, one cap, and one pair of booties - - was made with the same type and color of yarn. The first was made with a tight knit in beige, cream, and light blue; the second set was made from a very soft, almost fuzzy, sage green and pale yellow blend. The third set was all white with a slightly looser knit, and the last was a heathery gray made from a thicker thread.

"These are beautiful," I said. "I think they're perfect."

"I do too," Alice said. "Esme asked for a bunch of baby clothes hangers on her registry but nobody got them. I bought all that she requested, and they were not cheap. I'll split them into two boxes: one from us and one from ATS."

I wondered how tiny little clothes hangers could be all that expensive, but then I remembered that Esme was a designer, and I was sure these were no ordinary hangers.

"I used over half of my part of the money at the bakery," I said. "I ordered bread, cupcakes, cookies, and two cakes. We pick it all up Sunday morning."

Luckily for us, the bakery hadn't been open very long and the owner was thrilled to get such a large order.

"Do you need help with the food?" Logan asked.

"No, thanks," I replied. "I'm getting everything tomorrow morning. We plan to be at Rose's by 9:30 on Sunday and I'll prepare it there. It's all appetizers; nothing too complicated."

"I think we're in good shape," Alice said.

"Good," I replied as I switched into chief mode. "Since we're done with the shower talk, there's plenty to do around here. Let's get to work."

With grumbles, sighs, and several choice words, Alice, Logan, and Gianna left. I knew they still loved me... outside of work anyway. With a smile, I left for my exec team meeting.

* * *

"Bella, is my father coming in to the office today?" Carlisle asked. "He hasn't answered my calls since Wednesday morning."

"Yes. I have a meeting with him at 10:30," I said. "He's not here yet, but he hasn't called to say he isn't coming."

"Could you have him come see me before he leaves?" he asked.

"Sure thing," I said.

"Thanks," he replied. "Let's get started."

Friday's exec team meetings usually lasted a little longer than normal as we recapped the week and set goals for the next one. This one was no exception. It was almost time for my meeting with Caius when Carlisle dismissed us.

"Bella, do you need anything else for the shower?" Carlisle asked before we left.

"I do, now that you mention it," I said. "Drinks. It sounds like all your parents will be there, and I'm sure they won't be content drinking water and fruit punch, which is all we're bringing. I'm not much of a drinker at all so..."

"I'll handle it," Carlisle said as they laughed.

"My mother seems to think that you and Alice won't show up on Sunday," Rose said with a nervous laugh. "You know, as payback for the holiday party."

"Mine said the same thing," Edward said.

I chuckled and shook my head. "We don't play those kinds of games," I said. "If we didn't want to do it, we would've told you 'no' in the first place."

"That's what I told her," Rose said, though she couldn't hide her relief.

"Esme's so excited," Carlisle said with a broad grin.

"You told her already?" Jake asked. "I thought it was a surprise."

"Jake, she's due in a little over two weeks," he said. "A surprise at this stage might end up in the baby being born at the shower."

"Good point," Jake said as we laughed.

"I just hope it all goes well," Carlisle said.

"If it doesn't," I said. "It'll be because of your crazy ass family, not us."

"Which is exactly why I want to talk to Caius," he said as we laughed again.

Jake and I stood to leave but Edward stopped us.

"Uh, Bella, just so you know, we've already talked to our parents on your behalf," he said nervously.

"We did," Rose said. "We told them this is our shower and that you and Alice and the others are doing a favor helping us out. You won't have a problem out of them."

"Like they listen to you," I said as Jake cracked up laughing. Carlisle, Rose, and Edward laughed as well.

"I'm not worried at all," I said. "I'm bringing backup too. My mom's in town and she's coming to help."

"I heard," Edward said with a big grin as I cackled. "Make sure she comes early. I can't wait to see her again."

"This is gonna be some baby shower," Jake said as he continued to laugh.

That had been the comment of the week. I felt like I needed to have a tee shirt made.

* * *

Just like in the old days, Caius was leaning against the wall outside of my office when I got back downstairs. He flashed me a winning smile then followed me in when I unlocked the door.

"Before we get started," I said, "Carlisle wants to see you. Do you want to go up there first?"

"He can wait," Caius replied. "He only wants to lecture me to be on my best behavior at the shower Sunday."

"You're definitely coming?" I asked. "You're aware that your family will be there?"

"Yes and yes," he replied with a grin. "I'm going for my grandson but I won't be biting my tongue. If I have something to say, to my family or Esme's, I'll say it."

"Okay," I said as I shook my head. "I'm done talking about it. Let's talk business."

"Yes, let's," he said eagerly.

"You may or may not know this already," I said, "but things still aren't all that stable in sales."

"Is Edward still upset about losing the new business team?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, "and that's putting it mildly."

"Well, boo fucking hoo," Caius said as I laughed. "The focus on the conferences is the way to go. Peter has a real knack for selecting the best ones for us to attend. Carlisle made an excellent decision."

While the CMAs and Caius were doing the actual legwork out at the conferences, it was Peter who was truly responsible for the success of the team.

The chiefs had always focused on going to other tech conferences, but Peter realized that other tech companies already knew how to do the services we offered. He chose to broaden the scope of the conferences we attended. Basically any group that allowed vendors at their conference was fair game; if the conference attendees had websites, then they were potential clients.

"I've been looking at some of the websites from our leads from the last conference," Caius said as he shook his head. "It's unbelievable to me that in 2013, so many people still use such poor quality sites to represent themselves. When I think of all the money we could've made since we started ATS if we'd focused on conferences the whole time, I get sick about it."

"Don't get sick, get even," I said as he laughed. "By bringing in more leads. That's really why I asked you to come in today. I've spoken with Carlisle and we would like for you to remain in your role as ATS Associate for the rest of this year."

"Wonderful," he said, looking absolutely delighted.

"Tell me how you really feel," I said as he guffawed.

"I really feel very pleased with that arrangement," he said as he continued to laugh.

"I know that you're not shy," I said. "But if you get tired of being out on the road, just speak up. You're doing about one conference a week now and that might get to be too much. Please let me know."

"I will," he said. "I appreciate your concern. I do. But I feel alive again, Bella. You really don't understand. When I was CEO, there was so much pressure; I tried not to let on how much. The family was mad at me, and we were in real danger of not turning this place around."

"As shaky as it was," I said. "You were the only person holding it all together."

"True," he said. "But now, so long as I turn my reports in on time, you allow me to have a very loose schedule and I appreciate that. I don't have the pressure on my back like before, and the CMAs really look to me for advice and leadership. I very much enjoy that aspect of the job."

"Not to mention that you get paid to talk to people at the conferences," I said as he laughed loudly.

"There is that too. But most of all, it's nice to feel needed again," he said, echoing Renée's comment from this morning. "I'm happy to help however I can."

"Thanks, Caius," I said. "You've done an incredible job and I'm glad you're back."

"It's nice to hear," he said warmly.

"That's all I have for now," I said. "I guess..."

I was interrupted by Carlisle who knocked sharply on the door, looking straight at his father.

"I'm really not in the mood for one of his 'We are family' speeches today," Caius said as I laughed and waved his son inside.

"I thought I'd better come collect you myself," Carlisle said to his father who sighed and rolled his eyes. "You have a real knack for disappearing when you don't want to hear what I have to say."

"Give it a fucking rest, _please_," Caius said as he reluctantly stood to leave.

Father and son started arguing as soon as they stepped into the hallway. I really could not wait for Sunday.

* * *

"Why don't you come with us?" Renée asked as she pulled into the driveway. "We're doing dinner and a movie. We'll wait while you change clothes."

I answered when I finished yawning. "The way I feel right now, I'd be horrible company," I said. "I'm exhausted. You two have fun."

My mom and Phil waited until I unlocked the door and went inside of the house until they drove off. Now that this exceptionally long week was mercifully over, I wanted nothing more than to take a long hot bath and read a book for the first time in ages.

I'd just reached the bedroom and started to change my clothes when Emmett called.

"I take it you're safely home?" he asked.

"Finally," I said. "I thought I'd never leave work. I was working on the budget and almost missed the last express bus. Where are you?"

"I just left Ma's," he said. "I'm on my way home. I was gonna take you to dinner, but the way you sound you'd fall asleep on the table."

"Sorry, but I would," I said as I stepped out of my pants. "With you home more though, we'll have plenty of times to go out to dinner."

"I figured this would be a long week for you," he said. "For both of us really. That's why I didn't plan any sales trips this week. It's our first week at the house, I wanted to be around in case something happened."

"It was good to have you home while we ... mmmm."

"Um, whatever you're doing, I want in," he said suggestively as I laughed.

"I just laid down on the bed," I said with a yawn. "I'm whipped."

"Before you fall asleep, go down to the outdoor room," he said. "Phil and I put the whole patio set together. I think it looks great. Tell me what you think."

I wanted to say I'd do it tomorrow, but he sounded so happy about it I couldn't say no.

"I'll go down in a minute," I said. "I'll see you when you get here."

Although my mom was the main one shopping and exploring during her time here, Phil hadn't exactly been staying at home watching TV. In his own travels yesterday, he'd come across a whole patio set that was on clearance that he thought was perfect for the outdoor room. Emmett met him at the store and bought it on the spot.

I slipped on a tee shirt and some socks and headed downstairs to see it. I slid open the door to the outdoor room and sat down on the first piece of furniture I saw: a stylish, and very comfortable, double lounger.

"Wow, this _is _nice," I said when I sank into the cushion.

The lounger was part of a whole outdoor set which included a sofa, a coffee table, and an ottoman in addition to the lounger. Someone had placed one of Maggie's throws over the back of it so I pulled it down and placed it over my legs as the night had become a little cool.

I wanted to get up, I did, but I just felt too cozy. It was probably a mistake to close my eyes, but I couldn't help it.

* * *

I jerked awake suddenly, startled by what sounded like a door slam. I slowly sat up and looked around, yawning as I got my bearings.

Still too comfortable to move, I wrapped myself in the throw and took a few moments to get myself together. I'd almost drifted back to sleep when another loud bang drew my attention to the kitchen which I could see through the sliding door.

"New Business unloading the dishwasher," I said aloud in astonishment. "Pigs must be flying somewhere."

Emmett and I became official in mid-October, so we'd been together for about seven months now. It seemed unbelievable to think that I'd experienced so much, including purchasing a house, with a man I'd known less than a year, but I had no control over fate. We belonged together and delaying the inevitable would have been pointless.

In our time together, we'd pretty well learned how the other functioned, for better or for worse. So far, there wasn't a lot of "worse" with New Business thankfully, but I realized that - - thanks to Maggie - - my boyfriend simply didn't feel the need to do housework. His favorite defense was "Ma always did that. I'll just mess it up."

Since he'd been released from training last month and had been working at home more, I'd been pushing to get him to do more around the house. But he was a slickster, and more often than not, I noticed that his chores usually got done around the same time as visits from his mother.

So the sight of him putting away dishes was welcomed to say the least. I turned sideways a little and nestled into the lounger to watch my own personal TV show: _New Business Cleans the Kitchen_.

"He's so fucking sexy," I muttered as I watched him walk around the island to straighten up the barstools. He wore nothing at all but a pair of dark blue basketball shorts, so his well-defined muscles were all on display, bulging and rippling as he moved. He wore his hair a little longer now, and I loved the way the wavy locks framed his face. Sometimes, I really couldn't believe that he was mine.

As if he heard my thoughts, he suddenly looked up and caught my eye. In an instant, he grinned at me and flashed those dimples. _So_ freaking hot.

"Look who's up from her nap," he said as he slid open the door and peeked out. "You coming in or what?"

"Or what," I replied suggestively.

He laughed, then walked out and sat next to me, pressing against me much closer than necessary. He'd clearly taken a shower recently; I could smell his shampoo and soap. I leaned against his arm and shamelessly breathed in more.

"You like the set?" he asked.

"I do," I replied. "Very comfortable. This cushion could use a little breaking in though."

He knew what I was getting at but played innocent nonetheless.

"After a few months, it'll give a little," he said with a chuckle.

"Or we could fuck, and break it in now," I said brazenly.

"We _did_ have a nice nap, didn't we," he said as he laughed.

"I did," I said. "And, you know, I don't think I've ever had sex outside before."

"I don't know if I have either," he said. "But this is only partially outside, so I guess that doesn't really count. Let's wait until we're really outside someday."

He grinned widely at me, while I raised an eyebrow at him. The outdoor room wasn't exactly wide open to the great outdoors; it truly was only open at the far end and was bordered by the sliding door to the kitchen and dining room on the left and a wall on the right. Theoretically, no one would be able to see us unless they were in our house or backyard, or out in the woods.

I stood up, unwrapped the throw from around me and tossed it onto the lounger. I left my shirt on, but stepped out of my shorts and panties which wiped the smile right off of his face. He watched me with a deepening intensity as I kneeled onto the lounger then settled on his lap. He shut his eyes and leaned his head back against the reclined seat as I wantonly ground against him. I placed my hands on the top of the lounger on either side of his head and whispered directly into his ear.

"My mom and Phil are at the movies," I said. "Whatever shall we do?"

His eyes opened in a flash and his hands immediately found my ass.

"This_ is _the first time we've been alone since we moved in," he said as his eyes dropped to my lips.

"Do you still want to wait until we're completely outside?" I asked with a smirk.

"Well, you're right here now, so..." he said.

"Good answer," I replied as I sucked his lip into my mouth.

He yanked his head back after several hot moments, leaving me panting.

"You make sure you be quiet," he said, smirking at me. "We do have neighbors and you know how you get."

"I'll try but I can't help it when your big hot cock fills me all the way up," I said with a salacious grin.

"Fuck," he growled and attacked my mouth anew.

New Business loved dirty talk. I couldn't lie: it turned me on too.

"I like this," he said with blazing eyes which quickly dropped to my chest. He hastily pushed my shirt up and sucked, licked, and nipped at my breasts and nipples. Trying to be quiet proved an extremely difficult task, but I viewed it as a challenge and I didn't want to lose.

Again, I gripped the top of the lounger with my hands while his mouth continued having its meeting with my chest and his hands roughly massaged my ass and thighs. I continued grinding against him, and we both hissed when he reached down and freed himself from his shorts.

We'd been together many times and not once had I ever felt so aroused: maybe the possibility of being caught, the thrill of being kind of outside, or the darkness of the room mixed with the light from inside all combined to enhance the experience.

"Quiet," Emmett growled as I shrieked when he thrust several fingers into my center. I desperately searched for his mouth with my own as I rode his hand. Our tongues battled as we kissed wildly and his fingers began thrusting into me at a feverish pace.

When I could take no more, I exploded in release, collapsing against him. Whatever caused the intensity of this particular time, I wanted to feel like this again.

As I recovered, my whole body suddenly became immersed in the crisp night air, and I realized that I was no longer pressed against his firm, hot body. I opened my eyes and saw that I'd been placed in a seated position in the lounger.

Emmett knelt in front of it, with one knee raised and one on the ground as he grinned wickedly at me.

"I think you like it outside," New Business said as he grabbed my legs and pulled me forward until my ass was at the edge of the seat. He quickly spread me open and licked away the evidence of my release, taking his sweet old time as he lapped and kissed.

I turned my head sideways and tried to use the throw to muffle my scream. Good thing I did because his hard cock plunged into me before I was done screaming.

The force of his thrust pushed us both further back onto the lounger. What a truly excellent purchase it had been.

"Fuck I like it like this," he whispered gruffly in my ear as he pounded into me.

I held on tightly, wrapping my arms and legs around him until he clenched up several times, then finally released in several long spurts.

We shared stupid silly grins as we attempted to catch our collective breath.

"Pretty sturdy furniture," he said as he slowly pulled out of me. We both groaned a little, not wanting this amazing experience to end.

"Yes, I think it passed the test," I replied as I attempted to sit up from my odd angle without making a mess on the cushion. He tucked himself back into his shorts and gingerly stood up.

"We better get inside before they get back," I said when I was able to catch my breath.

"Was sex partially outside any good for you, Madam Bad-Ass?" he asked, flashing those dimples at me.

"Without a doubt," I said with a huge grin as he held out his hand to me and pulled me up.

I collected my panties, shorts, and the throw and followed him inside. Emmett had just locked the sliding door when we saw the car headlights through the window at the front of the house.

"Shit, they're really back," he shouted, his startled eyes as wide as quarters.

"We need to get upstairs," I replied. "Go!"

Somehow, we found the energy to haul ass up the steps where we collapsed onto the bed laughing hysterically.

"I hope they don't decide to sit outside," I said as New Business guffawed. "C'mon, we gotta get back down there."

We cleaned up quickly, laughing all the while, then dressed and hurried back downstairs.

To my relief and his, we found Phil sitting at the kitchen island on his cell phone as Renée scooped some ice cream into bowls for them. Emmett quickly went outside, presumably to make sure we hadn't made too much of a mess.

"You want some ice cream?" my mom asked. "We don't eat it often but we had a taste for some. There was a nice little shop right near the movie theater."

"No thanks," I replied, praying that she didn't realize what we'd been up to. "Good movie?"

"It was," she said as her eyes suddenly drifted to Emmett outside.

"Why's he flipping that cushion?" she asked. "Is something wrong with it? It was on clearance, but we can still try to take it..."

"No it's fine," I said quickly. "We were sitting out there earlier and he, um, thought he left his keys out there."

"Oh," she said as she ate a spoonful of ice cream. "I like it out there too."

We walked to the sectional in the living room as she regaled me with her tales of the day. New Business soon joined us and, except for the knowing grins we exchanged all night, we carried on our evening like two people who hadn't almost got caught fucking by their parents.

* * *

On Saturday morning, I went shopping for the party and, between the supermarket and a few specialty stores, I bought everything I'd need. My mom was waiting for me when I returned home.

"We need your help with the wedding planning today," she said.

"Sure, I'll help," I said.

"Excellent," she replied with a grin. "We need you to babysit Austin and Henry."

"I think I can handle that," I said as she laughed. "I'm happy to do my part for the weddings."

"Good," she said, still chuckling. "We need the boys, and you especially, out of the way. We have a lot to do."

I soon learned my mom's plan for the day: she'd found several shops in my neighborhood that she wanted to take them too, including a florist, a stationery store, and the bakery where I'd ordered the shower cakes. Angie picked up Emily and the boys then drove to my place. To my surprise, Ben's mom, Tara, arrived with them. Tara was currently in the kitchen, examining my cabinets like she worked for the police while my mom stood beside her, generally bragging about the house.

"I really hope you don't mind," Emily said.

"It's not a problem," I said. "Don't worry."

"Brett had to work today, and you already know about the guys," she said.

"I've been hearing about it all week," I said with a laugh.

Phil had never been to a soccer game and the Seattle Sounders had a home match tonight at 7:30. Phil asked Emmett and Liam to go, and New Business asked Ben and Jasper. They'd decided to make a whole guys' day of it, and they'd already left.

"Gianna said I could leave them with her and Kim, but they're doing the baby shower things today," Emily said, still apologizing.

"I think they're getting together with Alice," I said.

"Mom would've watched them," Emily continued, "but she went on that overnight trip to Vancouver with Harry. Mary and Waylon went too."

Emily still looked upset about sticking me with the kids, so I tried to reassure her.

"I don't get to spend a lot of time with the boys," I said calmly. "I really don't mind."

"She doesn't," Angie said. "She'd rather stay at home any day than shop. Just look at her. Does she look upset?"

"No, not really," Emily replied as she smiled at me. "I'll go tell them to be on their best behavior."

She left as Renée led Tara from the kitchen into the living room with us.

"Bella, I love this house," Ben's mom said as she looked around. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you," I said with a smirk. "It doesn't have the majesty of your estate, but it'll do for us."

"Oh, stop it," Tara said, laughing along with my mom and Angie as her face turned bright red.

"I'm just teasing," I said. "My mom did most of the decorating, and we think she did a great job."

Renée positively beamed at the praise I gave her in front of Ben's mega-rich mother before she led her to see the upstairs.

"How'd Tara get in on this?" I whispered to Angie.

"She called me this morning and asked me to look at china patterns with her," Angie whispered in reply. "I told her I had plans with Renée, and she just invited herself along. I couldn't really say 'no'."

"Do you even want china?" I asked with a laugh.

"No," Angie said. "Ben and I use paper plates half the time."

"Are you okay with her being so involved?" I asked.

"I really like her," she said. "I do. But she gets bored easily, and it's like this wedding is her latest project. She means well, but she's all over the place."

"I thought she'd be spending her time with her new grandkids," I said. "She was so excited that they were on the way."

"The babies are still so young," Angie said. "They're still clingy with their moms and I think Tara feels left out. That's why she's latched on to me. Ben's really firm with her, but when he's not around, she pops up with all these suggestions. She wasn't so bad until she went and got that wedding planner. That woman put all kinds of ideas into her head. You don't know how happy I am to have Renée in my corner."

"You don't know how happy I am," I said as Angie cracked up laughing.

"I love you to death," she said, "but this is one situation where you'd be completely useless. It's okay though; you have many other strengths."

We were laughing together when Renée and Tara came back downstairs.

"Okay, ladies, let's go," my mom called out with authority. "Lots to do, in not much time."

I went into the kitchen to hurry Emily along.

"You'd better go," I said. "My mom _will_ leave you."

"Boys, behave yourselves and listen to Aunt Bella," she said before she kissed each of her sons on the cheek, grabbed her purse, and hurried out with the others.

Henry immediately attempted to wipe away her kiss, and little Austin did the same, mimicking his big brother.

"She thinks I'm a baby," Henry whined. "I'm almost eleven now."

"I'm four years old now," said Austin, holding up four fingers.

"I know. I was at your party, remember?" I replied as he giggled.

Since the year began, my social calendar had been more active than ever before now that I had so many more friends and family members. I hadn't only been to Austin's little birthday celebration, I'd also attended, and planned in some cases, birthday parties or dinners for Kim, Maggie, Angie, and New Business himself.

Birthdays hadn't been the only events on my schedule. First had been the visit to Forks in February a few weeks after Emmett recovered from the flu.

"_We're taking our time moving in to the new house," Charlie said. _

"_But we'll be in completely before summer starts," Sue said. "We're having a big housewarming on June the eighth."_

"_So make sure you're here. I'm serious," Charlie said firmly. "Emmett's family's invited too." _

"_Charlie Swan throwing housewarming parties," I said, shaking my head as they laughed. "What is the world coming to?" _

March had been particularly active, starting off with Alice and Jasper's Saint Patrick's Day party to celebrate the holiday and the fact that she'd moved in to his condo. Next, Harry's friends on the police force threw him a huge surprise retirement party. Charlie and Sue came down for that one, and we all got to meet some of Harry's family members including his ex-wife, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. She'd apparently only come because their daughter made her.

"_What a snob," Gianna said. "She'd fit right in at ATS."_

"_Definitely on the eleventh floor," I said as we cracked up laughing._

Then, Maggie asked us all to go to church with her on Easter Sunday, after which everyone gathered at her house for dinner. We'd also helped Emily and Brett, then Alice and Jasper, move into their homes. Between work and my friends and family, I barely had time to breathe anymore.

"So what're we doing today, guys?" I asked my partners in crime for the day.

"We can make cookies," Austin said with a high level of enthusiasm.

"And maybe play _Minecraft_ on Uncle Em's Xbox?" Henry asked hopefully.

"Are you allowed to play this game?" I asked.

"Yes, I brought it with me," he said.

"I can play too," Austin said.

"Well, if you two can teach me, then we can play," I replied.

"I'll teach you. It's easy," Henry said.

I truly couldn't believe how quickly the day passed. We spent hours playing that video game and I actually had a great time. Henry gave me enough instructions to play, but clearly not to be better than he was, while Austin sat in my lap and helped me on the controls. We only stopped when Austin had to go to the bathroom, then they both begged me to make chocolate chip cookies.

My mom and the others weren't back, and it had started getting dark, so I decided to give the boys dinner before they filled up on cookies. While we ate, Emily, Emmett, and Maggie all called to check on us.

"_We may be a few more hours," Emily said. "Are you sure you're okay?"_

"_It's beautiful up here," Maggie said. "We're having a great time. How's everything there?"_

"_So wait. You're telling me that Henry taught you how to play a video game and you liked it?" New Business asked. "Oh, the possibilities, Madam."_

In retrospect, admitting that to my game-obsessed boyfriend had been a horrible idea.

After dinner, Austin discovered that his socks made for excellent sliding on the floor panels from the front door to the kitchen; he ran and slid so much that he wore himself out and passed out asleep. Henry stretched out beside his brother on the sectional and became engrossed in some cartoon.

I decided to make several of the food items for the baby shower that could be prepared ahead of time: large batches of pico de gallo and two kinds of salsa - - one southwestern style and the other more traditional, all using my own recipes. After that, I carved a watermelon baby bassinet. I'd fill it with fruit tomorrow, which would be here before I knew it.

* * *

"I just wanna be on record as saying this is a bad idea," said New Business on Sunday morning as my mom and I prepared to leave for the baby shower.

"I second that," said Phil.

"We'll be fine," Renée said with confidence. "They need Bella at work too badly now to do something like they did at the holiday party."

I agreed with my mom about that. If there was drama to be had at this baby shower, it wouldn't involve me.

"If some shit goes down, don't call us," Phil said, laughing with Emmett. "We got our own plans for today."

"Which are?" I asked.

"We're meeting up with Jasper and Liam to watch the Mariners game," New Business said. "We asked Ben, but he's got family stuff to do."

"Good for you," my mom said. "Now help us load up the car. We need to get going."

Our guys helped us carry the surprising amount of stuff we had for the shower out to the car: I'd mainly be preparing appetizers and dips, but I'd purchased some dishes and serving trays as well. I was sure Rose had all that stuff, but I wouldn't have time to waste figuring out where everything was in her kitchen. I was also bringing a big box filled with my own cooking utensils, again so I wouldn't lose time.

We got all of the groceries, bags, and boxes, coolers with the pico, salsas, and cheeses, and finally the container with the partially carved watermelon, loaded. We said our goodbyes to New Business and Phil and drove the short distance to the bakery where Marissa, the owner, opened the door for us. Her shop was closed on Sundays, but she said she'd meet us so we could pick everything up.

"I'm not letting your mom go back to Phoenix," she said. "She got me two big sales yesterday."

"She's excellent at getting people to spend their money," I said as they laughed.

"I hope these are okay," Marissa said nervously when she lifted the lids on the cake boxes and showed us her handiwork.

I didn't know who squealed louder, me or my mom, when we saw the two cakes.

One was in the shape of a woman's chest and baby bump. She 'wore' a low-cut blue dress with a ruffle, all made from fondant. The second cake featured a kneeling baby whose little diapered butt and legs stuck out from the cake. Marissa draped a blue 'blanket' over the white 'diaper' both of which were made of fondant too.

"I love to bake," I said, "but I'm horrible with fondant. I always mess it up. I don't know how you do it. These are perfect."

"Thank you," she said with a huge grin as she showed us the cookies and cupcakes next.

The cupcakes were also iced with fondant in four designs: faces with little blue caps and blue pacifiers, baby carriages, bibs, and baby booties. The cookies were all shaped like onesies and were iced in four colors and patterns.

"I worked hard on these," Marissa said as we marveled at her creations. "Like I said, this is my first big order. I kept the colors all blue and white, like you said, and I did a separate box of a few cookies I individually wrapped in case the mom wants to keep them."

"Thank you," I said, still examining the detail on the cookies.

"Do you have any business cards we can put out?" Renée asked. "Some fairly wealthy people will be there. Bella says the Cullens are..."

"The Cullens?" Marissa shrieked, interrupting my mom. "Oh my god! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to react like this," I said. "The Masen and Hale families will be there too. I didn't want to make you nervous."

Marissa placed her hand over her chest and leaned against the display counter as my mom and I laughed our asses off. The reactions people had to my colleagues never ceased to amaze me.

"If they don't like it, just don't tell me," she said. "I'm so nervous now."

"If this stuff tastes half as good as it looks, you have nothing to worry about," Renée said. "Just give us those business cards and watch what happens."

She shakily handed us a large stack of business cards. We teased her as she helped us carry everything out to the car.

"This box has the flatbread," Marissa said as she put the last box inside. "There's three kinds and I sliced it all, just like you asked."

"Thanks so much," I said as I handed her an envelope with a tip. "You did an amazing job on short notice."

"You're so welcome," she said. "Thanks for the business. Renée, I'll be talking to you soon about those wedding orders."

We waved goodbye and headed into the city. We wanted to be there by 9:30 at the latest and provided there wasn't any insane traffic, we'd make it with time to spare. My phone rang seconds after we pulled off.

"Did you get the cakes?" Alice asked.

"Got 'em," I said. "We're on our way."

"Good," she said. "We're all at breakfast. Carlisle's money is treating us."

I heard the others laugh boisterously along with me and Renée.

"We'll see you soon," I said as I ended the call.

"I'm excited," I said to my mom.

"I am too," she said. "I'm dying to see Rose's house. You know it'll be grand."

"You know it," I said.

She crossed her legs and I noticed her shoes, which reminded me that I'd been meaning to say something. We'd rushed around all morning so that we'd leave in time, and I hadn't had time to adequately tease her.

"Do you always wear stilettos to baby showers, or are those specifically for Edward?" I asked as she screamed with laughter.

"These are for Edward," she said with a big grin. "I'm going to have fun with him."

"I should've never told you that he called you 'hot'," I replied as I shook my head.

Renée didn't exactly look like she was on her way to a baby shower, although she was in compliance with Rose's baby blue or white mandate. She wore a very pretty white cap-sleeve blouse with lace accents and a pair of tight white slacks. Her hair was still blonde and she was wearing it loose and wavy. She added silver earrings and jewelry to go along with a pair of silver slingback shoes with very high heels.

I actually loved the simple white dress she'd found for me; for once, she'd chosen function over form, which I needed since I'd be cooking. It had a very bohemian feel and was sort of loose from the waist down with a flared skirt and lace accents. I'd already put on an apron which covered most of the front of it, but that was for the best to keep it from becoming covered in food. I had silver accessories as well: earrings and ballet flats, and I pinned my hair up into a bun to keep it from getting in the way while I prepared the food.

We made our way through the streets with very little delay. Clearly, we'd done well to leave early. I was kind of glad about the shower for another reason as well: it kept me from feeling obligated to check my work e-mail all weekend.

"Have you been to Rose's house before?" Renée asked.

"No," I replied. "But from the directions she gave, it's not all that far from Cheney Manor, so that should tell you something."

My mom cackled at the name I'd given the home of Ben's parents.

"We're getting close," I said as I turned into a neighborhood with large stately homes and huge expansive lawns.

My mom was about to comment when Rose called.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, sounding worried. "Just checking."

I tried not to laugh as Renée rolled her eyes.

"Everything's fine," I said. "I think I'm pretty close to your house actually."

"Good," she whispered. "Our parents are all here, and Mother's telling them none of you will show up."

I did laugh as my mom sighed loudly and rolled her eyes again.

"She's not kidding," said Edward who apparently was there already too. "Hurry."

"I think I'm here. Is this your house, with the gate open?" I asked Rose as I slowed down. "217, right?"

"Yes," she said happily. "You're here. I'll send someone out to help."

"Do you have any type of rolling cart?" I asked as I turned into the long driveway. "That would help the most."

"Yes," she said. "See you in a minute."

"This driveway is longer than the street," Renée said as we continued into the property.

"Now I get what people mean when they say 'old money'," I replied. "This house has been around for a while. Wow."

Our mouths both fell open a little as we took in home in front of us.

Rose's house was huge. It wasn't as big as Ben's parents' estate, but it was easily half that size which was quite a lot for one person. The walls of the home were made from some sort of stone that I couldn't decide whether to call gray or beige. Ivy or some sort of vines climbed many of the walls, and there were windows and little balconies off some of the upper rooms everywhere I looked.

"I don't think I'd know what to do with this much house," my mom said as she looked around with me.

"That makes two of us," I said as I slowed down in front of a walkway leading up to a heavy looking arched front door made of wood. I parked and unhooked my seatbelt.

"Any last eyerolls you want to get out of your system?" I asked.

My mom laughed. "No, I think I'm good," she said as gave her makeup a final check in the visor mirror.

The door opened and Rose rushed out, followed by Edward and three people all dressed in crisp white shirts and dark slacks or skirts.

"I'm so glad you're here," Rose said, unable to stop smiling. "My mother was convinced you weren't coming and she started getting the others riled up."

"It's only just 9:30," Renée said loudly. "If they're going to sit around bitching all day, they might as well go home now."

"They don't want to miss anything," Rose said. She already looked tired of dealing with her family.

"Hello again, Bella's mom," Edward said in his most seductive voice, ignoring me completely. "We meet on better terms this time, I hope."

"Yes, we do Edward," she said with a simpering laugh. "And please, call me Renée."

"I'll call you whatever, and whenever, you like," he said as he grinned at her smugly.

"Oh, god," Rose and I said in unison. Unconcerned by our comments, Edward led my mom inside as the three other people tried to stifle their laughs.

"Bella, this is Marta, Arielle, and Joe," she said as she turned to the three now-serious-faced members of her staff. "They've worked for the family for years and..."

"God will bless each one of you for that," I said, interrupting her, as all three fell out laughing though they did try not to.

"Anyway," Rose said as she too chuckled, "they'll be helping with whatever you need today."

We exchanged greetings and they all helped place the many, many bags and boxes onto the two carts they'd brought outside.

"This is so much," Rose said as she watched us with wide eyes.

"This is just the food," I said. "The others are bringing two cars there's so much stuff. They'll be here soon."

"Good," she said again with real relief. "It's like Mother wants it to be a failure. Cassidy, that's Carlisle's mother, is almost as bad. She's already here too."

Marta and Arielle rolled their eyes and exchanged little smirks and I had to laugh a little. I could only imagine the griping they'd heard from this family over the years.

"You can't possibly live here by yourself," I said to Rose. "This house is massive."

"I don't stay here at all," she said with a chuckle. "But it is my house. My grandparents left it to me, and we have most family gatherings here."

"I'll park your car, if you don't mind," said Joe when we finished unloading.

"Thank you," I said with a smile before I turned to Rose.

"I know all your family's in their watching and waiting," I said. "Let's get the introductions over with because I have tons to do."

"Yes, we'd better," she said nervously as she led me inside.

* * *

"This looks like the makings of a lovely spread," said Marta when we finished unpacking all of the bags in the kitchen. "Are you sure you don't want my help?"

"I think I'm fine for now," I said. "I cook best when I'm by myself in my own little world."

"I'm the same way," she said. "The bags of ice you asked for are in the freezer. If you do need me for anything at all, press this button."

She pointed to a panel on the kitchen wall that was likely linked to an intercom system.

"I will," I said. "Thanks again."

It had taken almost fifteen minutes to get to the kitchen because I had to meet all of the assorted Masens, Hales, and Cullens. I remembered most all of their faces from the holiday party, and it was clear they remembered me too.

I met Rose's siblings Lillian and Kevin, both younger, and then Rose's parents, John and Renata. Her mother was one of Caius's sisters. She seemed just as hateful as she had been at the holiday party, but she kept any nasty comments to herself this time.

Edward had absconded with my mother, but I met his parents - - Edward Anthony and Corin. Corin was Caius's other sister. She didn't even speak to me: she just smiled tightly and nodded her head. Edward's twin, Anthony, was not here.

"He's probably still hung over from wherever he spent last night," Rose muttered.

Next was Afton - - Caius's only brother - - and his wife Marie; their two daughters, Bianca and Valentina, stuck closely to Rose's sister Lillian. All three girls appeared to be in their early twenties and they stared at my apron like it had some sort of disease.

Last was Carlisle's mother, Cassidy, with her husband Mark and her sister Heather. They were a little friendlier than the others, but not by much.

Caius and Dora hadn't arrived yet, but I didn't expect them until much later. I thought we were all done with the intros when Tanya arrived with her boyfriend, Casey, and her parents, Avery and Ralph. Tanya actually had the nerve to act like we were old friends.

"Great to see you," she said with a big smile. "I hear you've really helped turn things around at ATS."

"Yeah," I said, not in the mood for her fakery. "I'll see you later. I need to get started on the food."

Rose led me to the large, immaculate kitchen where Marta helped me sort everything before she left. I'd just wiped off a large serving tray when Renée sauntered in.

"I won't even ask where you've been," I said.

"Edward took me on a tour of the house after I met the family," she said with a grin.

"Did you behave?" I asked, recalling how she'd acted the night of the holiday party.

"I did," she replied. "Those bitches don't want any trouble with me."

"Just make sure you don't start any," I said as we laughed.

"I almost feel sorry for Rose's little sister and those girl cousins," Renée whispered to me. "If I looked like they did, and Rose was my sister, I'd be fucking depressed."

I shouldn't have laughed but I couldn't help it. My mom was right, as superficial as it seemed. I understood that Rose was exceptionally beautiful, but her sister and Afton's daughters didn't even look like they were related to her. At all.

We suddenly heard raucous laughter and much chatter. Clearly, Alice, Gianna, and the others had arrived. Renée left to greet them, but I really didn't have time. The clock was ticking and I had to start the food, some of which needed time to chill for an hour or so.

I perused the list of what I was making, washed my hands, and got into my zone.

After about half an hour, Kim and Sasha, Alice's niece, rushed into the kitchen and hugged me.

"Aunt Bella, can you believe this house? Oh my gawd," gushed a bright-eyed Kim.

"I thought people only had houses like this in Hollywood," Sasha said as both girls collapsed into a fit of giggles.

"Mom said to ask if you want us to help you," Kim said.

"Did they set up the tables for food yet?" I asked. Both girls nodded.

"Did they bring the water bottles?" I asked.

"Yes. We put the labels on last night," Sasha said. "They say 'Esme's Baby Shower' and have today's date."

I smiled. "Okay, I have a few things you can take. Thank you."

They helped me load the two carts with napkins, plates, cups, and utensils, as well as two clear ice buckets, and two glass pitchers that I filled with blue Hawaiian punch.

"We always make the punch with the ice cream and the rubber ducks at baby showers," said Sasha. At the ripe old age of thirteen, she was already a veteran of many showers thanks to Alice's gigantic family.

"I thought about making a special punch," I said. "But this crowd is a little uptight."

Both girls laughed hysterically. "They keep standing around watching us while we set up stuff," Kim said. "It's kinda creepy."

"They are creepy," I said. "I don't think they'll drink anything we bring anyway, so I kept it simple with blue Hawaiian punch."

"Works for me," said Sasha, causing me to laugh because Alice said that all the time.

"I'm about to start the snack trays, so thank you for doing this," I said. "It'll save me time. Just bring the carts back when you're done."

"We will, and we'll set up the tables good, don't worry," said Kim.

The girls carefully rolled the carts out and I got back to work. I felt eyes on me several times and I knew that I too was being watched like the others, but I kept my head down and focused. Since I was thankfully left alone, I soon finished the snack trays.

I figured that not everyone would enjoy the Mexican theme of the appetizers, so I decided to make two huge snack trays, using an assortment of gourmet cheeses, olives, crackers, and spreads, as well as the flatbread from the bakery.

"That looks pretty damn good if I do say so myself," I said. "That should hold them over until it's time for the appetizers."

I placed my trays on one of the carts and followed the noise and laughter. I quickly found a room that led to a large courtyard where Alice, Gianna, Angie, Logan, and Renée were hard at work with Kim and Sasha setting up.

I noticed the women from the families were huddled together in little cliques, pressed against the windows watching the scene outside and whispering furiously. I didn't see any of the men, but I knew they probably hadn't gone far.

I shook my head at the women, and looked for spots to place my trays. Two long tables had been draped in blue and white linens on opposite sides of the doorway leading to the courtyard. The girls had arranged the plates and other items onto both tables, so I cleared a little more space and put a snack tray on each one.

I went to step outside into the courtyard, but Rose appeared beside me grinning broadly.

"The food platters looks great," she said. "I can't wait to have some."

"Thanks," I said.

"I thought we'd do the shower outside since it's not raining," she said. "Come see how much they've done."

I followed her outside, and couldn't help but smile at the decorations. It looked like a real baby shower, which was exactly what Carlisle wanted.

My mom was wrapping white gauzy fabric around the back of a chair, front and center in the space. Right beside it was a square table already laden with gifts. On each side of the courtyard, there were five tables for a total of ten, each draped with more blue or white linen. Blue and white balloons had been tied to some of the chairs.

"This looks great," I said loudly. Everyone stopped and came over to talk and laugh with me.

I talked and listened, but I also took a closer look at the tables. On top of each sat one of Gianna's diaper cake centerpieces and three baby bottles: one filled with pastel blue mints, one filled with peanuts, and into the third, my mom had bent Marissa's business cards a little and placed them in so that they stuck out of the top.

Candy bars had also been placed in front of each chair at the tables. The wrappers featured different designs that all read the same. On the front, was the baby's name: Chancellor Emerson Cullen. On the back, like a real candy bar, were nutrition facts - - 50% Esme, 50% Carlisle, 100% Loved - - and ingredients which included hugs and kisses among other things.

"What neat labels," I said as I held one and examined it.

"They're Hershey bars," Sasha said. "We just changed the wrappers."

"I _might_ have asked Jared if Hanh could make the wrappers for the candy bars and the water bottles," Alice said with a little sideways grin.

"Why not?" I said sarcastically as the others howled with laughter, even Rose. "We haven't been busy at all in marketing. Hanh didn't have anything else she could've been working on."

"Glad you understand, chief," said Logan as they kept right on laughing.

"She did a great job," I said, still laughing, as I put the candy bar down. "These diaper centerpieces are great. I couldn't really picture them, but I love them all."

"Thanks," Gianna said. "I resisted the urge to make them look as tacky as they can look sometimes."

I cracked up laughing. They actually didn't look the slightest bit tacky and from far away, they did look like wedding cakes. Some had two tiers, some had three, and each had either a little stuffed animal or a wrapped gift box sitting on top of it.

"We made them all different," Kim said proudly. "With all different diapers."

"Are they really diapers?" asked Cassidy, Carlisle's mother.

Curiosity appeared to have gotten the better of her and she'd wandered outside with her sister.

"They are," the sister gasped as they chuckled and looked at each one.

"Girls, come and look," shouted Cassidy into the inner room. "You won't believe it. They're adorable."

We stood back as Renata, Corin, Marie, and Avery rushed outside with Lillian, Bianca, and Valentina. They instantly began taking a much closer look at the decorations, talking eagerly all the while.

"Well, at least they finally stopped staring at us out of the windows," Logan said as I laughed.

"Bella, I think you can bring the cakes out now," Alice said. "We've got the table all set up."

She pointed inside to a separate and smaller table near the other food tables.

"I'll get them now," I said.

When I turned back into the room, I stopped dead in my tracks and tried to keep from cursing out loud.

"Freaking wolves," I grumbled as I stared at my now-ravaged cheese and bread trays. There was not a thing left on either one but crumbs and empty bowls where the spreads had been. All of the water bottles were gone and to my surprise, the pitchers of punch and buckets of ice were empty too.

Rose, Edward, Tanya, and Tanya's boyfriend - - their plates loaded with items from the tray - - stood nearby staring at me with guilty expressions, even though they clearly hadn't eaten everything.

"Didn't your families eat breakfast?" I asked. "I hadn't planned on putting out the appetizers until Esme got here and I thought those snack trays would last until then."

"I was too stressed out to eat earlier," Rose whined. "I'll send Marta out for more..."

"I have plenty more food," I said, trying not to snap though I wanted to. "I can do another tray. Let's just hope it lasts a little longer next time."

"This bread is great," Edward said, his mouth stuffed with food.

"Everything's perfect so far," said Tanya, wedge of cheese in hand.

"It really is," Rose said. "It's already going a hundred times better than I expected."

"That doesn't exactly sound like a compliment," I said as they laughed. "But thanks. I think."

"I'll put out some more water bottles," said Alice, who'd just walked in looking as annoyed as I was.

I took the empty trays, pitchers, and buckets back to the kitchen on one of the carts, and hastily replenished them all. I returned to the food tables and set them all up again. The scene was much like it had been the first time I'd entered the room: the men were nowhere to be found and the women were huddled by the windows again.

Before I brought out the cakes, I decided to put the watermelon bassinet out since it had been given time to chill: I'd carved out some of the watermelon so that I could fill it with grapes, strawberries, and balls of cantaloupe and watermelon. Under the hood of the bassinet, I inserted a grapefruit into which I stuck toothpicks to hold the grapes in place that would represent the 'baby's' eyes and nose. Finally, I added the finishing touch to the face, a blue pacifier, placed it on the cart, and left the kitchen once again.

When I put the glass dish with the watermelon on the table, loud screams rang out from behind me.

"It's a bassinet," exclaimed Renata, grinning widely as she pointed at it. I barely recognized Rose's mom with a smile on her face.

"Look at the grapefruit face with the grapes for eyes," said Edward's mom, Corin, who couldn't seem to stop laughing.

The other women ran over too, laughing and snapping pictures with their phones.

"It's like they've never been to a baby shower before," said Angie.

"Probably not one that wasn't planned and coordinated within an inch of its life," said Logan as we laughed.

"How did she get the edges so neat?" asked Avery, Tanya's mother, of no one in particular. "They're scalloped."

"She used a cookie cutter," Renée said, grinning proudly. "Bella's very resourceful."

"If they lost their shit over that, wait until they see the cakes," I whispered to Alice before I hurried back to the kitchen.

Like I expected the Masen, Hale, and Cullen women absolutely lost it when I set up the cakes and cookies and arranged the cupcakes on a stand.

"Look at the little ruffles on the diaper on the butt," said Cassidy who couldn't stop staring and smiling at the kneeling baby cake.

"I love this one," said Renata. "That's like a real baby bump. Look at the belly button."

"Look at the tits," said Corin as they cracked up laughing.

"Who did these?" asked Cassidy. "They're so well done."

"A baker friend of ours," said my mom with a smug little grin. "Her business cards are on the tables in the courtyard."

While everyone, including Alice and the others, fawned over the desserts, I turned to go back to the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and sighed in disgust when I saw that the second cheese and bread trays were already nearly empty. I didn't know why it bothered me so, but I was beyond annoyed that these jackals couldn't have eaten before they got here. Rose noticed my expression.

"I know you wanted to wait to put out the appetizers," she said. "But please put out whatever you have ready. It's already 11:30 anyway. The food is soaking up the liquor they've been downing all morning, so let's keep it coming."

I could do nothing but laugh as I returned to the kitchen.

* * *

The decorations and the food effectively loosened up the crowd and the Cullens, Hales, Masens, and their friends were actually talking with Alice, Gianna, and the others. Angie was especially popular because somehow the mothers found out that she was marrying a Cheney and they were talking her ear off.

"I swear I didn't tell them. You know I don't brag about Ben's family name," Angie said when she managed to escape for a few moments. "Alice and Gianna said none of them told either."

"They didn't have to," I said. "I have no doubt that it was Tanya. She was at that Happy Hour the day you and Ben met."

"How could I forget?" Angie said as she laughed.

"She probably saw your gargantuan engagement ring and put two and two together," I said.

Angie cracked up laughing and helped me put out the first round of appetizer plates. In the center of each plate, I'd placed a bowl filled with several varieties and flavors of tortilla chips. I surrounded each bowl of chips on each plate with individual cups of seven-layer dip, queso dip, guacamole, pico de gallo, and each of the salsas.

"That's a little more upscale way of presenting chips and dips," Angie said as I cracked up laughing.

"Thank you. That's what I was going for," I said with a grin. "I made sure to buy deep plates so the cups wouldn't slide off."

"You'd think they never ate before," Angie said as we watched the crowd descend upon the table. "I hope there's enough left for Esme and Carlisle."

"I'm making them a separate little menu," I said. "And I'm keeping the food for them in the kitchen until they get here."

"Is Esme supposed to be eating all this stuff?" Angie asked.

"Carlisle said all she's eating is Mexican food," I replied. "I know there's a thing about pregnant women not eating unpasteurized cheese, but I didn't use any of those."

"This is great," she said as she tasted some of the guacamole. "You make great Mexican, thanks to all your time in Phoenix, I guess."

I took a little bow and she laughed and tried the queso dip next. I returned to the kitchen and started the food for Esme: several types of taquitos, mini taco bowls, as well as a few sweet corn cakes that I already had baking. I made sure to keep enough food to prepare appetizer plates for her and Carlisle as well.

Me being in the kitchen didn't stop people from coming in from time to time to talk to me, or each other.

First were Edward's father and Rose's too; I didn't think either of them had been at the holiday party.

"We finally meet Bella," said Edward Anthony with a smirk.

"We've heard so much about you," said John as he grinned.

"I'll just bet you have," I said as they laughed boisterously.

"You can't have a good company without major drama every once in a while," said Edward Anthony as he laughed. "It's good for business."

"Then we should be set for years," I said to their amusement.

Next I was treated to some gossip, courtesy of Rose and Tanya.

"That queso dip is spicy," Rose said, opening the refrigerator, as she smiled at me. "I loved it but I need some water."

"Are all the bottles of water gone again?" I asked in alarm. "We just..."

"No there's plenty," she said. "I just like mine."

She laughed when I rolled my eyes at the expensive-looking glass bottle she pulled out, but when she turned to leave, Tanya rushed up to her.

"I wasn't finished telling you about Jess," she said. "Bradley told me that she told Michael she had a list of ATS clients she'd sell him for ten grand."

"Get the fuck out of here," Rose shouted.

I kept right on stirring my dish while I eagerly listened in.

"I saw the e-mail," said Tanya with glee. "I knew she was hard up for money, but that's low even for her."

"I almost feel sorry for her," Rose said. "Actually, I do. She's so fucking stupid."

"I recognized some of the names," Tanya said. "So it had to be an old list. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Do I look worried?" Rose asked smugly as she grabbed her water and left.

I didn't have time to mull over Jessica's obvious failed attempt at revenge, or the irony of Tanya calling someone else "low" because Edward and my mother wandered into the kitchen next and I was unfortunately subjected to their shameless flirting.

Someone had apparently been making mixed drinks with some of the blue Hawaiian punch and my mom had one in her hand.

"I came in here to talk to my daughter," Renée said. "Don't you have a girlfriend to bother?"

She cocked her head to the side and grinned at him before she took a sip of her drink.

"Maybe I like bothering you," Edward replied with a smug grin.

He ran his fingers through his hair and took a sip of his water.

"You should be careful around me," she said suggestively. "I have a tendency to bite."

Edward choked a little on his drink, and I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"The things I could teach you if I wasn't off the market," Renée said, laughing, as she turned on her heel and left.

Edward followed right behind her with his tongue nearly hanging out of his mouth.

"Thank god for Phil," I muttered when they left.

Were it not for my stepfather, I had no doubt that my mother and Edward would be somewhere right now going at it like rabbits. Edward was exactly her type: pretty, cocky, and younger.

Finally, a little after twelve, things got a bit more lively. First, Jake arrived... on crutches with a walking boot on his right foot.

"What happened?" Alice asked.

"Sprained my ankle pretty bad playing basketball Friday night," he said. "This is my cousin, Embry. He's stuck driving me around for the next few weeks."

"Damn, their whole family must be hot," whispered Logan as the rest of us laughed. Embry, like Jake, was quite handsome. They almost looked like brothers except that Embry wasn't quite as tan and his hair was more my brownish-red color instead of Jake's jet black.

Those of us from ATS introduced ourselves while Jake spoke to the gathered members of the families.

"Come sit down," said Rose's sister eagerly to Jake.

"We'll get you something to put your foot up on," said one of Afton's daughters.

"And some food," said the other daughter.

All three were smiling and batting their eyelashes at Jake who ate up the attention. Alice and I looked at each other and chuckled.

"I guess I'll get going," said Embry, though he didn't move a muscle. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Rose.

"You could stay," Rose said quickly. "We're not sure what time this'll be over."

"Maybe I will then," he said as he grinned at her. "Thanks."

Rose's parents noticed their overly friendly greeting like all the rest of us and stepped in immediately.

"John Hale," said her dad commandingly. "I'm Rose's father."

"Nice to meet you, but I know who you are," Embry said with a slightly awestruck expression. "I'm in the same line of work. You're something of a legend."

John raised an eyebrow but couldn't help but grin and puff his chest out a little.

"What exactly do you do?" asked Renata. She couldn't exactly look down her nose at Embry because he was tall like Jake, but she tried her hardest.

"I'm a securities trader," Embry said as her father's face lit up. Several of the men began to talk and murmur amongst themselves.

"What firm?" John asked with interest as he led Embry away, probably to wherever they'd been disappearing to all morning.

"I need more water," Rose announced, her face flushed pink as she dashed off to the kitchen. Tanya ran right behind her.

"Esme and Caius aren't even here yet and this has already been one helluva party," said Logan as the rest of us cackled.

"Uh, hello," said a man who'd just walked in through the still-open door; two women were with him. He looked incredibly nervous and also very familiar.

"Hi, Walter," Alice said with a grin. "Hey, Yardleigh. C'mon in."

"I helped out a little with the ATS renovation," Walter said when Alice introduced us. "I'm a designer too."

"_That's_ why you look familiar," I said. "Nice to meet you."

Walter and Yardleigh were apparently Esme's best friends. The other woman with them was Amelia, who introduced herself as Esme's cousin.

Further introductions were halted by Rose who'd marched back into the room like a bat out of hell. The rest of the mothers, and Tanya and Edward, were right behind her. None looked amused by the presence of the three newcomers.

"Thanks so much for coming," Rose said nastily. "See how it works? Someone invites you to an event and you come. Maybe no one ever taught you that."

"Get off your high horse, Rose," said Yardleigh. "You invited us so we're here. We came for Esme, not for you."

"Esme will be here any minute," Walter said angrily. "She's worried sick there'll be a fight. Don't be like this."

"We've been in touch with Carlisle all morning," said Edward. "He knows not to come until we call him. Despite what you seem to think, we care about Esme too. We don't want her stressed out with a bunch of fighting either."

"When she's at my house crying about all the shit your family says to her, I can't really tell that you care," said Amelia the cousin.

"You're such a joke," Tanya replied with a bitter laugh. "If Esme didn't go crying to you all the time, where would you get all the Cullen gossip for your messy little blog? Didn't think we knew about that, did you?"

"That's a fucking lie, bitch," Amelia shouted. "She's my cousin and if she wants to cry on my shoulder, she can do it anytime."

"I think that's Amy P," Logan whispered. Judging by her expression, some realization had dawned on her. "She has a local gossip blog, and she _does_ have a lot of juice on the Cullens. I read it all the time. Amy could be short for Amelia, and Esme's last name is Platt. I bet hers is too. Amy P."

Renée and I looked at each other and smirked. So the plot thickened.

"This is like a reality show," Kim whispered to Sasha as the two girls, and the rest of us, tried not laugh... too loudly.

"And here come some new cast members," said Alice as we snickered all over again.

Two more women walked in, both older. One had hair the same caramel color as Esme's. I suspected this was her mother and possibly an aunt.

"I knew you'd ask us here just to fight," said the aunt, looking directly at Cassidy, Carlisle's mom, who actually hadn't been arguing.

"That's where you're wrong," Cassidy replied. "I didn't want you here at all."

"I didn't want any of you in my house either," Esme's mom said. "That's why I didn't invite you. Period. End of story."

"I actually want to thank you for that," said Cassidy. "I probably would've been robbed in your neighborhood."

"How the mighty have fallen," said Corin, Edward's mom, with a smug grin.

"Damn, that was vicious," whispered Renée.

"It must kill you to know that your son loves my lowly little not-rich-enough niece," said Esme's aunt.

"You'll notice he's had the good sense not to marry her yet," said Cassidy. "I wonder why?"

"Maybe he doesn't know what marriage means," said Esme's mom. "You and Caius were certainly no kind of example."

"You leave my uncle out of this," shouted Rose. "You wouldn't say that shit to his face, so don't say it now."

"She's right about that," I whispered to Alice and the others who nodded. Caius would have ripped her to shreds after a comment like that.

"Where _is_ Grandfather Caius?" Esme's aunt asked nastily. "I hear he isn't even speaking to any of you. He's got the right idea."

"Where'd you hear that?" Renata spat. "Did you hear it from your little brat? What's her name, Amelia or is it Amy?"

Logan raised an eyebrow at us all and grinned triumphantly as we chuckled.

"This fighting isn't serving any purpose," said Tanya's mother, Avery, who shockingly stepped into the middle of the two groups of families.

"Amelia, you pump Esme for all the information you can get about all of us," she said. "Everybody knows it, so it makes you look silly to stand here and deny it."

Amelia frowned at her, but remained silent. Avery turned to Esme's mom next.

"Ellen, you're right," she said. "You didn't have to invite the Cullens to your shower. But you made sure they found out about it just to rub it in their faces. You've done your share to keep the drama going too."

Next, she turned to Carlisle's mother.

"Cassidy, we all know how much money the Platts have lost over the last few years," she said. "There's no point insulting them every time you see them. Whether you like it or not, Chancellor's half Platt, so when you disparage them, just remember you're talking about your grandson too."

Alice had grabbed my arm when the arguing started and was digging her nails into it with every word. I not so gently tugged my arm away and she mouthed 'Sorry' to me as we kept listening.

"I think Avery makes a lot of sense," Edward said. "The baby will be here in weeks, and we'll all want to see him and be around him. There shouldn't be all this tension every time the families are together. It _is_ possible to be mature and make the best of a bad situation. Just look at Bella."

Everyone in the room turned to look at me; I felt my face flush.

"We all know what happened at the holiday party," he said. "Bella could've quit after that and told us to go to hell when we asked her back, but she didn't. She put her job and the company first, even after what we did to her. She's forgiven us over time, and look at us now. She's here in Rose's house, planning this whole thing for Esme."

"With a lot of help," I said loudly as everyone on my side of the room chuckled.

"Yes, with help," he said with a grin. "My point is she was able to put aside her differences with us, even after we did some pretty bad shit to her, for the sake of the company. We all need to do the same thing for the sake of the baby. Today could be a good start."

"Very well said, Edward," said Caius, who'd just walked in with his wife, Dora.

Everyone moved to the side a little when he stepped forward. It was very much like _The Ten Commandments_ movie when Moses parted the Red Sea. I looked over at Esme's mom and aunt. They had so much shit to say about Caius a few minutes ago, and now they couldn't even look at him.

"This is supposed to be a baby shower," Caius said with a hard expression as he looked around the deadly silent room. "I didn't come here to listen to you shrews trade insults all day. We just left Carlisle's and they're waiting for this thing to get started. Let's get this show on the road so we can go the fuck home."

To a person, Caius's assorted family members - - except for Rose and Edward - - looked enraged at the sight of him. That included the men, who'd come out of hiding again when all the shouting started. Esme's family and friends didn't look too happy either. But not one of any of them _dared_ say a word to Caius: clearly, they were smart people.

"You're right, Uncle Cai," Rose said quickly. "I'll call Carlisle now."

Despite the icy glares that followed his every movement, Caius walked by the families and directly to the side of the room where I stood with my mom, Gianna, Alice, and the others.

"It was nice of all of you to give up your time on a Sunday for this," he said, looking between me and Alice. "I apologize for whatever squabbles you've been subjected to by my family."

He turned back to the group, looking straight at Esme's mom and aunt, though he was clearly still speaking to us.

"I'm _certain_ that Esme's family hasn't caused any problems," he said. "Rose invited them here out of the goodness of her heart and they're in _no_ position to say a single fucking thing about anyone here."

Esme's mother glared at him, and her face turned redder by the second. Her sister's face was almost purple. But as chatty as they'd been a few minutes ago, they didn't have one word to say now.

"Caius, we were happy to help," I said quickly to avoid any further escalation. He turned back to me and smiled grimly.

"Esme will have a great time," Alice said. "We promise."

"I've actually never seen Esme so excited," Dora said loudly. "I'm sure she'll appreciate a properly done shower."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing, and there were several stifled laughs from the families as well. Maybe everyone shouldn't have been so hard on Esme's family, but I for one did not appreciate the way they came in here talking shit about Caius.

"Who are these beautiful girls?" Caius asked with a real grin as Kim and Sasha giggled and blushed.

"This is my daughter, Kim," Gianna said.

"And my niece, Sasha," Alice said.

"Caius Cullen," he said as he shook their hands. "I'm a really nice guy, so don't listen to what anyone here says about me."

We all laughed but someone snorted loudly in derision from the other group.

"I don't know if you remember my friend Angie," I said as he shook her hand too.

"The future Mrs. Cheney," he replied.

Angie laughed, blushing like the girls, as Caius turned his attention to Renée.

"My boss's mother," he said as we cracked up laughing. "So good to see you again."

"And you," Renée said. "I have a feeling you'll be charming women when you're ninety years old."

"He doesn't seem to have an off switch for it," said Dora, his wife, as we laughed again.

Caius introduced her to the others and I almost passed out when she stopped at me.

"Thank you for making sure that he has a place at ATS," Dora said quietly. "He loves his new position, and you've made my life much _much_ more pleasant."

We laughed together and things progressed pretty quickly after that. Alice led Caius and Dora out to the courtyard to show them around as Marta took their large gift out to the gift table.

After huddling together to talk for a bit, Esme's friends and family decided to stay though they kept to themselves for the rest of the day. Eventually, everyone headed out to the courtyard, mingling and talking in little groups.

I took the time to replenish the fruit in the watermelon bassinet so it would look decent when Esme saw it for the first time. After that, I put out the last of the cheese, olives, crackers, and bread, and the few remaining appetizer plates I had ready. Then, I returned to the kitchen and started plating the food for Esme and Carlisle.

"Did you happen to save any cupcakes or cookies?" Angie asked. "They ate them all."

"Esme didn't even get to see them," Gianna said sadly. "We had to stop them from cutting the cakes earlier."

"The baker made a separate box of cookies," I said. "She wrapped them, and I put aside four cupcakes too, one with each design. I've got a whole tray of stuff just for Esme and Carlisle."

Alice walked in then, already laughing. "Caius is completely ignoring his family and Esme's," she said. "It's so funny. They keep giving him dirty looks but he doesn't care."

"He's talking to Jake and Embry right now," Logan said.

"Where's Dora?" I asked.

"She's having words with Carlisle's mother at the moment," Renée said with a smirk. "That looked like it was getting ugly when we came in here."

"The current wife and one of the ex-wives," I said with a chuckle. "I bet that will get ugly."

"Esme's here," shouted Rose from another room. "Let's all come out and greet her."

Before I joined the others, I checked the food table again to make sure it at least looked presentable. Then, I stood at the end of what was essentially one of two receiving lines, as Esme and Carlisle talked and hugged people as they walked down the center of it.

Esme almost knocked me over when she hugged me. "Thank you," she said, already crying. "You didn't have to do this, but I'm so glad you did."

"You're welcome," I said, though I had difficulty reaching around her protruding belly to hug her back properly.

Looking at her stomach made _me_ uncomfortable it was so large; I didn't see how she'd last one more week, let alone two. But being Esme the designer, she looked very well put together in an A-line dress with a bold blue, white, and brown print and white ballet flats quite like mine. I had to admit, I'd never seen her so happy.

"I hear it looks amazing," Carlisle said when he reached me in line, looking almost as excited as Esme. "Thank you so much. We can't wait to see it."

"Follow me, then," Alice said as she led them to the courtyard as the others followed. I hastily made my way to the kitchen to get their food.

I heard Esme's shrieks and laughs when she saw the watermelon bassinet and cakes, then the centerpieces and decorations outside. She was wiping away tears of joy when I reached her table outside.

Alice moved the centerpiece and other things away so I could set the platter in front of them on the table. Logan had prepared a pitcher of punch and already placed it and a few bottles of water on their table, along with utensils. Carlisle and Esme laughed when they saw the labels on the candy and water bottles, but quickly turned their attention to the food I set before them.

"Are those sweet corn cakes?" Esme asked with longing.

"They are," I replied. "I only made a few, just for you."

"I could kiss you," Esme said to me. "I'm starving."

"Everything looks delicious," Carlisle said as they both reached for food.

"I hope you like it," I said.

"Thish ish sho good," said Esme as she tried the guacamole. Carlisle gave me a thumbs up after inhaling several taquitos.

"Nothing I like more than a satisfied customer," I said with a smirk as I left them to it.

"Did you need any help in the kitchen?" Renée asked. "I'd planned to help you but I kept getting distracted."

"Yeah, I work with your distraction and his name is Edward," I said as she cackled. "I don't need help though. They ate almost everything, so there's just cleanup left and I already did most of that as I went along."

"I didn't think they'd eat this much," Gianna said.

"That makes two of us," I said as she laughed.

"Everything I had was delicious," she said. "You did a great job."

"And so did you and the others on the decorations. I think we made a pretty good team," I said as I returned to the kitchen.

* * *

"Okay everyone," Alice said at about 1:15, "find a seat at one of the tables. We'll be starting the games soon."

She ran back to where I stood talking and laughing with Angie and Logan.

"Bella, can you cut the cakes?" Alice asked. "Esme and Carlisle got pictures of them and they said it's fine to cut them now."

"I'll do it," said Angie. "I didn't get to help you much with the food and you did all that by yourself."

"She's right," Logan said with a warm smile. "I'll help."

I didn't argue because I was starting to crash. The excitement of the day had kept me going earlier but now the adrenaline had begun to wear off. I needed to sit down, and, truthfully if I wasn't driving, I'd have asked my mom to make me one of those mixed drinks.

I planned to sit with my mom, Gianna, and the girls but they had a ton of supplies for the games all laid out on their table, so I sat down at one of the tables in the back with Caius, Edward, and Jake.

I noticed Esme whisper something to Carlisle who stood and rounded up both of their mothers and Dora, his stepmother, to sit with them. They complied, but they didn't look happy about it at all.

"Why aren't you sitting with Carlisle?" I asked Caius as I chuckled.

"Because I've spent all morning with him and the mother-to-be," he replied with a scowl. "I've had all that I can stand of Esme and her fucking whiney voice for one day."

When I finished laughing, I turned to Edward. "Have you finished chasing after my very married mother?" I asked.

He grinned, then turned to stare at her yet again. She was laughing hysterically at something Gianna said to her.

"Your very married mother is hot as hell," he replied with a grin. "I'm just an admirer of her beauty. I've done no harm."

I laughed along with Caius. Jake laughed a little too, but he was distracted watching his cousin as he sat down at a table with Rose.

As soon as I settled in, I realized that I was starving. I'd been preparing and tasting the food but hadn't had time to eat much. I went to the kitchen and managed to scrounge around enough leftovers to make a pretty large and tasty looking platter of nachos. I took it back to the table along with a bottle of water.

"I hope you're sharing," said Jake as he eyed the plate hungrily.

"That's why I brought extra plates," I said.

I scooped a large portion onto my plate and Edward, Jake, and Caius took care of the rest.

"These are delicious," said Caius. "They probably won't agree with me later, but they taste great now."

"What happens to your digestive system when you get home is not my problem," I said as we cracked up laughing.

Alice stood back up at the front and began going over the rules for the first game: the Price is Right one. She'd moved a table to the front and placed seven big boxes on top of it. There was something on top of each box, which she explained.

"There's seven common baby items here," she said. "They're listed on the first sheet of the clipboards on your table, but you can come up here and see them if you need to. As you can see on your sheet, seven prices are listed across the top. This is a group effort, so your table needs to figure out which price goes with which product."

"Yeah, we're gonna lose," Jake said as the rest of us laughed.

"You have fifteen minutes to come to an agreement," Alice said. "Then, I'll collect one sheet from each table. Everybody at the table or tables who gets them all correct will win a prize. And no cheating: no asking your staff, and no checking your cell phones. You can start now."

I took a moment to read the list, as did the others:

*A Tub of Enfamil Premium Newborn Formula, 22.2 oz  
*A Pack of Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Baby Diapers, Jumbo Pack, Newborn, 30 Count  
*Johnson's Take Along Travel Pack (mini bottles of baby powder, baby wash, lotion, shampoo, and cream)  
*Desitin Rapid Relief Creamy Diaper Rash Ointment, 4 oz  
*A Pack of Two Seattle Mariners Pacifiers  
*A Pack of Huggies Simply Clean Hypoallergenic Wipes, 600 Count  
*Vicks Baby Rectal Thermometer

The prices were: $2.79, $4.84, $8.99, $10.99, $12.49, $15.99, $24.99.

"I don't see anything up there that should cost twenty-five dollars," Jake said as he looked between the table with the actual products and the list on his clipboard.

"I think that's the baby formula," I said. "People always complain about how much formula costs and it says 'premium'."

"If baby formula costs twenty-five dollars a can, then I'm in the wrong business," said Caius as we cracked up laughing.

"I think those pacifiers with the Mariners logo are the most expensive," Edward said. "Sports shit is always marked up."

"I think you're right," Caius said.

"Pay attention to the sizes, and the item counts," Alice said as she walked around the tables. "And these are all name brands, so take that into consideration."

"I can't figure out what's the cheapest," Edward said. "I'd think everything up there would cost more than three dollars."

"This is too hard and I'm tired," I said as the others laughed. "I agree with whatever you guys decide."

We managed to put together a list and submit it within the time frame. Alice quickly checked the sheets from each table and gave us the results.

She walked over to the table in the back directly across from ours where Caius's brother, Tanya's boyfriend, and the fathers of Rose, Edward, and Tanya were all seated.

"Somehow, these guys were the only table that got them all right," Alice said as the courtyard exploded in laughter. "They didn't cheat either, I was watching, so I don't know how they know so much about baby products. If these are your husbands, you might wanna ask some questions."

Quite a few little jokes were exchanged as everyone continued to laugh. Alice then walked to Esme's table.

"I'd like to point out that baby Chancellor's parents and grandmothers didn't get a single answer right," Alice said as we laughed all over again. "Just sayin'."

Esme and Carlisle, and even their moms and Dora, couldn't stop laughing.

Alice had Sasha hand out a sheet of paper with the correct answers at each table:

1. A Tub of Enfamil Premium Newborn Formula, 22.2 oz: $24.99  
2. A Pack of Two Seattle Mariners Pacifiers, $15.99  
3. Huggies Simply Clean Hypoallergenic Wipes, 600 Count: $12.49  
4. Vicks Baby Rectal Thermometer: $10.99  
5. Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Baby Diapers Jumbo Pack, Newborn, 30 Count: $8.99  
6. Desitin Rapid Relief Creamy Diaper Rash Ointment, 4 oz: $4.84  
7. Johnson's Take Along Travel Pack (mini bottles of baby powder, baby wash, lotion, shampoo, and cream): $2.79

"Shit that's a lot of money for formula," Jake said.

"That's why God made breast milk," Edward said as we guffawed. I seriously almost choked on my water.

"Those are regular, not sale, prices and they came from the Target website," Alice said, "so if you disagree, take it up with them. For the next game..."

We played several more games and I honestly had a great time. Logan and Angie passed out the cake slices, which everyone raved about. I _may_ have eaten my slice and Jake's.

Edward, Jake, and Caius provided great commentary all afternoon, and we spent more time laughing at how intense some of the other tables were in their efforts to win each game than actually participating ourselves.

More importantly, we had a great time watching Embry who sat at a table with Rose, Tanya, and their mothers. Maybe I was projecting, but I had a near instant connection with Emmett and look how that had turned out. The sparks between Rose and Embry could be seen from outer space.

"Do you believe this shit?" Jake asked as he gave them a disbelieving stare. "I had to beg him to bring me here and now he's all up on Rose. The last thing I need is them to start dating. If something goes wrong, it'll be all fucked up for me at work."

"I understand your point," Edward said with a grin. "But please, let this play out."

"What he's saying is, maybe your cousin can help Rose be a little less _uptight_," Caius said, smirking as I snorted and laughed.

"Why is this happening to me?" Jake muttered, not nearly as amused as the rest of us. "He's never dated a blonde in his life but the first time he does, she has to be somebody I work with."

"She doesn't date much," Edward said, still chuckling. "Let them be. For our sake. _Please_."

I felt bad for Jake, but I was _so_ with Caius and Edward on this one. I hoped Embry wasn't some jerk, but I was all for Rose getting a little lovin'.

For the last game, Sasha and Kim went around to each table with a ball of yarn and a pair of scissors. The game was to guess how much yarn it would take to get across Esme's stomach. I thought that was a little mean-spirited, but Esme and Carlisle were laughing their asses off as Sasha unraveled yarn until someone at each table told her to stop then Kim cut it off.

"Okay, that's enough," yelled Esme, laughing all the while, when the table with her cousin and her friends let Sasha unravel a ridiculous amount of yarn. I could see the fun of the game, if the mom-to-be was okay with it.

I was truly surprised that so many of the men had stuck around so long, but they were all here laughing and talking with everyone else. I was more surprised, however, that Caius stuck to his guns about not talking to his family other than Carlisle, Rose, and Edward. I thought he might warm up once he got around them, but he acted like they weren't even there.

His sisters watched him like a hawk, and tried to catch his eye or attention all day. His brother even tried to talk to him but Caius got up and walked away. It was sad, but he had his reasons. I was just proud of him for being here today; I honestly didn't think he'd show.

Esme opened her gifts last, from the chair my mom decorated in the front of the courtyard, with Carlisle looking on almost as excited. Kim read the names on each gift tag, Gianna handed Esme each card and gift, while Alice wrote it all down on her clipboard. Our gifts were the first she opened.

I watched Carlisle's face when Kim said, "This one's from A-T-S." He looked very pleased, but genuinely surprised.

"These two boxes go with it too," Kim said. "They're from me, my mom, Sasha, Alice, Angie, Logan, Miss Renée, Aunt Bella, Jasper, and Jake."

"Damn, you're all up in Emmett's family now," Jake said with a smirk as Edward and Caius fell sideways in their chairs laughing.

"It would seem that way, yes," I said as I laughed with them.

The boxes were large, so Carlisle opened them in front of Esme so she could see inside them. She shrieked in delight.

"I need these hangers," she said with a big grin. "Thanks so much! I thought I'd have to get them myself."

There appeared to be about three different kinds of hangers in the two boxes and Carlisle held a few of them up so everyone could see them. Some were covered in padded satiny material, and others had prints and designs on them.

"They look suitably overpriced and expensive," Caius said. "Of course she wanted them."

Edward coughed a little and Jake and I exchanged glances, but we didn't say anything. What could we say to that?

Next, Carlisle opened the box with the hand-knit blankets.

"These are beautiful. Thank you," Esme said, gasping as she held up each of the blankets, caps, and booties for the families to see. All of the mothers around the courtyard gave approving nods. Gianna and I caught each other's eyes and smiled.

Kim had just read out the next tag, a gift from Tanya's family, when there was a bit of a commotion behind my table. Edward's twin, Anthony, had decided to grace us with his presence, and he looked - - and smelled - - like he'd rolled out of a gutter. His clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, and his hair was greasy and stringy. Somehow, there were actual smudges of dirt on his face.

People gasped, whispered, and frowned all around the courtyard. Caius shook his head in disgust.

"CongrashCarl-eye," Anthony slurred, not caring at all that he was interrupting the party. "Heersh my giff."

He held up a gift bag and attempted to walk up to the front but his parents leapt from their seats and dragged him unceremoniously back into the house.

"I told you not to come at all if you couldn't be here by noon," hissed Corin, his mother. She looked mortified that he'd shown up like this in front of the families.

"Fucking embarrassment," said his father furiously as he grabbed his son by the arm and yanked him away.

"Okay, let's get back to the gifts," called Alice as everyone turned their attention back to the front, though many hushed side conversations had broken out.

Carlisle whispered to Esme and rubbed her back to calm her down; she looked on the verge of tears. In contrast, her cousin, Amelia the blogger, wore a delighted grin as she whispered with Esme's friends. I could guess the topic of her column tomorrow. Edward's face had hardened and he kept muttering and shaking his head. Rose jumped up and ran to our table where she and Edward began talking rapidly.

"Now they get to deal with him for once," he said to her. "They can see what he's like when they call me to go pick him up all the time. He's out of control. I tried to tell them."

"I'm going to see if he drove," Rose said. "I'll take his keys and keep them for good this time. He's such a fucking asshole. I told him not to come at all."

She stood and walked inside and Edward followed her.

"That was sad," I said quietly. Caius had told me many stories about his family in the time I'd known him, but it was like I got to see it all for myself today.

"How does somebody get to be that fucked up?" Jake asked. "He's no kid either. He's almost thirty years old. It is sad."

Caius sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Now you see firsthand one of the many reasons I kept such a tight hold over the family money and affairs," he said. "And yet, I'm the one they shit on all the time. I've tried to help that boy in more ways than you can count. I'm done."

Though the tone of afternoon turned decidedly more somber, Esme opened the rest of the gifts and didn't let Anthony's appearance ruin the afternoon. Edward and Rose soon returned, but Edward's parents did not.

When Esme opened the last gift, Logan presented her with a paper plate on top of which the bows and ribbons from all of the gifts had been placed. She made Esme wear it as a hat so everyone could take pictures of her.

"This whole shower has been beyond my expectations," Esme said with tears running down her face as she stood from her seat. "Thank you all, a million times over."

"I feel the same way," Carlisle said with a huge uncharacteristic grin. "Thank you all."

"You're welcome, Esme and Carlisle," Rose said. "I think we're winding down but before we leave, I have a few things to say."

We turned our attention to Rose who walked to the front and stood beside Esme.

"First of all, I'd like to make a toast," she said as she raised her glass. "To Carlisle and Esme, congratulations. We can't wait to meet baby Chancellor Emerson."

We all clinked cups and glasses and many people called out "Here here" around the courtyard.

"Next, please join me in a round of applause for our shower planners: Bella, Alice, Gianna, Logan, Kim, Sasha, Renée, and Angie," she said. "They did all of these amazing decorations, planned the games, brought those perfect little cakes, and made all the food. From all of us, thank you so much. The shower was perfect."

Esme and Carlisle nodded vigorously as everyone gave us a round of applause and turned and smiled at us. Suddenly, Marta and Arielle entered the courtyard, rolling out a cart filled with large gift bags.

"Please accept these as a token of our thanks," said Rose with a warm smile. "We could have never planned something quite like this on our own."

Edward walked around and handed all of us who'd planned the shower a bag from the cart. Under the watchful eyes of the others, we opened the boxes in each of our bags: they contained leather handbags, all different, and clearly all expensive as evidenced by the curses and exclamations that rang out around the tables. Kim and Sasha started screaming and talking incomprehensibly which caused everyone to laugh. Renée and Angie were talking a mile a minute as they examined their bags.

"Thanks from all of us," I yelled from my table in the back as I looked to Rose, Edward, and Carlisle. "We take back all the stuff we said about you this week."

That effectively brought the house down as everyone screamed with laughter and watched us fawn over our bags. Mine was black and seemed a lot larger than the others; it had zippers on the sides, presumably so I could expand it. I freaking loved it.

"I'm glad they had the decency to properly thank you," Caius said as he stared at the bag with an approving grin.

"That is nice," Jake said.

Edward was getting my mother's take on her gift as they laughed together, but Rose walked over to me.

"Yours is Phillip Lim," she said as if I knew what that meant. "It's a tote bag. I never see you with a briefcase, but you always come in with those canvas bags. I thought this might be a little sturdier for you."

"I really love it," I said, unable to stop looking at my bag. "Thank you."

"Don't save that for special occasions either," Caius said as Rose walked back to the front. "You could have told them to kiss your ass when they asked you to do this, but you didn't. You earned that and then some."

"Don't worry," I said. "I'll definitely be using this."

The shower was essentially over but everyone sat around talking and eating. I noticed that Rose's mom had walked inside, probably to check on her sister and drunken nephew. Jake had hobbled over to give his unfazed cousin a piece of his mind.

"I'm glad I came," Caius said. "This went very well. Wonderful work."

"Why thank you," I said with a little curtsey.

"Dora looks like she'll be here a while, but she can have Carlisle drop her off," Caius said. "I'm leaving."

"I'm proud that you lasted this long," I said.

"Will you step out front for a moment?" he asked. "I have something to give you for your new house."

"Sure," I said as I stood to leave with him.

I didn't think he'd been that loud, but all eyes were on us as we stood and walked back inside and through the house. He asked Joe to retrieve his car just as we neared the front door. As we kept walking, a scene to our left caused us both to stop.

Tanya had Amelia cornered against a wall, and when we heard what she was saying, I had to side with Tanya for the first time in life.

"...write one word about this in your blog tomorrow, I will find you and personally beat your ass," Tanya said with a menacing glare. "Leave my friends and family alone, from now on."

I couldn't help it; I had to say something.

"I don't know you, Amelia," I said as both women looked startled by our sudden appearance. "But if it's true that you've been writing about Carlisle's family, that's really shitty and you need to stop. It would be a shame if someone dug around in your background and wrote about you, wouldn't it?"

She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly about to speak but she didn't because Caius beat her to it.

"You'd be wise to listen to Tanya and Bella," he said to her as his eyes turned ice cold. "You write one more word about my family and you and I will have a problem. And trust me, little girl, you don't want problems with me."

She visibly gulped and tried to stomp off, but Tanya followed right behind her, clearly not done talking. Caius and I made our way outside.

"I don't even know what she writes," he said with a chuckle. "But for you to say something, I know it has to be true."

"I didn't know whether to believe Tanya or not when she said it earlier," I said. "But Logan says Amelia does have a gossip blog and she writes stuff about your family all the time."

"Ask Logan for the link," he said. "I'd like to take a look at it."

"Will do," I said.

Joe pulled up with Caius's car, then went back inside when someone in the house called for him.

"I won't even waste my breath and say you didn't have to get me anything," I said to Caius. "So I'll just say 'thank you'."

"I would've given it to you at work," he said with a grin, "but I was afraid you'd report me to Jasper."

I laughed quite loudly as he opened the trunk and revealed a large black gift bag.

"I'm very happy that you and Emmett have made a home together," he replied. "This is just a little something from myself and Dora.

"Thank you," I said as I heard heels clicking behind me. Renée and Alice had come out to join us and were hastily making their way down the front walkway.

"At least they had the guts to come outside," Caius muttered. "Everyone else is peering at us through the windows."

"We have no shame," Alice said as I laughed.

"We're dying to see," Renée said.

I carefully pulled out a large box with an emblem and writing on the front. I opened it and found a matching set of six intricately cut crystal glasses.

"Highball glasses," Renée said excitedly. "You're a man after my own heart."

Caius threw back his head and laughed as I carefully closed up the box. "Every home should have some," he said.

"They're beautiful," I said. "Thank you. We have the perfect spot for them."

"Wonderful," he said with a warm smile.

"I can put that in your car if you'd like," said Joe who'd reappeared.

"Thank you," I said as I gave him the bag.

"Does Dora really know you bought these?" I asked, not wanting trouble with his wife now that she'd warmed up to me.

"Of course," he said. "She wanted to go with a set of champagne flutes but that just didn't seem like you."

"Yeah, I have a feeling you, your son, niece, and nephew will drive me to hard liquor at some point in the near future," I replied as he and my mom guffawed.

"Renée, it's good to see you," said Caius. "Until next time."

"I'll be back soon and I hope to see you again," she said as Caius turned to me and Alice.

"I'll see you two at work," he said with a smile as he got into his car and quickly drove off.

I didn't know how to feel about Caius's extravagant gift but there was really nothing to be done.

"Okay, I have to say this," Renée said.

I turned to face her, wondering what pearls of wisdom she had to share.

"If he wasn't already married and you didn't have Emmett," she said, "I think he'd be well on his way to making you Mrs. Cullen number five or whatever number he's on."

"I've been saying that shit for the longest," Alice said as they cackled together.

I just shook my head and laughed along with them.

"Let's go back in and get our stuff," I said. "I already have a future husband number one, and I'd like to get back home to him."

* * *

**A/N: **

**1. Littlesea is a fictional town, made for the purposes of the story. **

**2. I never planned to write a shower for Esme, but once the idea got into my head, it had to be done :)**

**3. I'll be putting several pictures on the blog for this chapter. Lots of fun research lol.**

**As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17: Double Chapter

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 17**

**BPOV**

Why did Mondays always have to come around so fast? This week, I wanted to start taking an earlier bus and I needed to leave, like _now. _I hurriedly tried to decide whether my gray or black wedges would go best with my outfit. I slipped on the black pair and stepped out of our huge closet.

"You said you'd wear your shoes today," New Business whined from bed as soon as he saw me.

"I forgot," I lied.

"You promised," he said as he eagerly jumped up and got the gift bag out of the closet.

Guess I hadn't hidden it as well as I thought.

Grinning all the while, he put the bag on the bed and took out the shoebox. First, he handed me the ankle socks with the Seahawks logo, and then the white Nike sneakers, with gray, dark blue, and bright green accents: Seahawks colors, of course.

He watched me with great amusement as I laced them up.

"You're way too happy about this," I said.

"I used to like to see all the women with their work clothes and sneakers on," he said. "That's why I bought those for you. I think it's hot."

"You think everything is hot," I said as he laughed.

When I finished, I put my wedges into my black leather tote bag and hastily turned to leave.

"I woulda bought you a bag like that," Emmett mumbled. "I didn't think you'd like something like that."

"I didn't think I would either," I replied. "But I love it."

Rose's gift from the baby shower had become a favorite accessory of mine. New Business had noticed and he wasn't happy about it. He made loud, exaggerated kissing noises at me, causing me to laugh.

"You love the chiefs now," he said with a smirk. "They're your new best friends. You like them more than me."

"Don't be jealous," I said as I kissed him goodbye. "They wore me down, just like you did. See you when I get home."

My Nikes came in handy when I reached the Park and Ride. Once I parked, I had to jog the last few steps to make the early bus: it pulled off as soon as I sat down.

I barely had time to catch my breath when a woman across the aisle started talking to me.

"I love your shoes," she said, looking down at them enviously. "They'd go perfect with all my 'Hawks jerseys."

"Thanks," I said. "My boyfriend gave me these. I'm a Cardinals fan but he's determined to convert me."

The woman laughed loudly. "You need a better team to root for anyway," she said.

Before I could defend my the honor of my Arizona team, the woman in front of her turned around to join in our conversation. I'd seen her talking to Carmen the other day.

"I wondered when you'd get some sneakers," the second woman said. "It'll keep you from messing up your good shoes."

"The first week I rode the bus, a car splashed me at the bus stop," said the first woman. "Ruined my favorite pair of heels, and they cost a lot of money. I've worn sneakers ever since. I keep my shoes for work in my office."

I ended up talking to them the entire way in to work and quite enjoyed my conversation. Riding the bus in each day wasn't such a bad deal after all.

At work, I checked my e-mails like I always did first thing in the morning; the last one put a huge smile on my face.

**~ * NBG * ~**

**From: **Rose Hale  
**Sent: **Monday, May 27, 2013 7:05 AM  
**To:** Edward Masen, Bella Swan, Jacob Black  
**CC: ** Carlisle Cullen  
**Importance: **High  
**Subject: **Today's Exec Team Meeting

Let's meet in my office this morning at 8. Esme went into labor last night and Carlisle's at the hospital with her.

**~ * NBG * ~**

"You two seem calm," I said to Rose and Edward when we began the meeting.

"We wanted to go to the hospital," Edward said.

"But Carlisle wanted us here," Rose said. "We have two very important client visits today."

"He says he'll give us updates every hour," Edward said.

"Esme looked ready to have the baby at the shower last week," Jake said as we laughed. "I knew she wouldn't last much longer."

We wrapped up the meeting fairly quickly. When Edward left followed by Jake - - still in his walking boot, I lingered a bit in Rose's office. Perhaps I'd been around Alice too long, but I felt compelled to be a little nosey.

"So," I said. "It's been a week since the shower."

"It has," she replied. "The family's still talking about it, for many reasons. It was a definite hit."

"How's Anthony?" I asked. "I didn't want to ask in front of Edward."

"I appreciate that," she said. "He's taken a lot of shit, his whole life, because of his brother. He tries to act like it doesn't bother him, but it does."

"Has Anthony apologized at least?" I asked. "Does he even remember how messed up he was at the shower?"

"Anthony's... _away_... right now," she said as she dropped her eyes to her desk. I knew what she meant - - rehab - - and she clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"He didn't look well," I said. "That didn't seem like a one-time thing. I think being away is the best for him right now."

"It is," she whispered as she looked at me again with a pained expression.

I quickly changed the subject to what I really wanted to know about anyway.

"Have you heard from Embry since the shower?" I asked.

If I'd been blinking, I'd have missed the grin Rose flashed, but she quickly put her serious face back on.

"Why would I..."

"Don't play dumb," I said as she laughed. "As you know, I had an instant connection with Emmett, so I like to think I know one when I see one. And you and Embry had one."

"Yes, I've heard from him," she said, unable to contain her now-wide grin. "We went out three times last week, which wasn't easy to do because he works more than I do."

"And you work a lot," I said.

She nodded and eagerly continued. "We've talked every day," she said. "I'm trying to keep a level head about it, but we do have a real connection."

"You once told me that your family makes it hard for you to date," I said. "They seem to like him. Your dad anyway."

"Daddy loves him," she said with a chuckle. "He knows the head of the firm where Embry works and he called him the day of the shower, just to see if Embry really worked there. He does, obviously, and his boss had nothing but good things to say."

"I'm glad Embry's boss had good things to say, but that sucks that your dad called the same day you met him," I said.

"I expected nothing less," Rose said. "Daddy's very overprotective. Mother's still not impressed with Embry."

"I expected nothing less," I said, repeating her words.

"I really don't care what she thinks," Rose said when she finished laughing. "I'm rapidly approaching thirty, as much as I hate to admit it. I don't meet many men who aren't total pigs, and I'm tired of waiting around to find the handful of guys my family might actually approve of. I'm not saying he's 'the one' but I really like him and I won't let her ruin this for me."

"If she's anything like my mom, she'd rather have you dating a guy she can complain about than not dating at all," I said. "She'll get over it."

"She'll have to," Rose said. "She can focus on Lillian. She's the baby anyway, and somebody needs to check out some of the losers she dates."

"I hope it works out for you," I said. "I really do, Rose."

"Knock on wood, it's going well so far," she said with a dreamy look in her eyes. "My family didn't intimidate him and we have great sexual chemistry. Those were my two biggest worries and they're already out of the way."

"Already?" I asked with a smirk.

"I wanted to know what he was working with," she said with a sly grin. "I didn't see the point in waiting."

"I'm sure he didn't mind," I said as we laughed. "I'm not sure how Jake feels about this though."

"I'm very capable of separating my work life from my personal life," she said.

"Especially since Tanya's not here anymore," I replied.

"Tanya and I will always be friends, but I wish she hadn't been there the first time I met him," Rose said. "She's even more excited than my father, and Daddy's pretty excited."

"What about your family's... status?" I asked, pressing on now that she was opening up. "I don't know his background, but his family doesn't travel in the same circles as yours. I do know that. I hope they don't make a big deal about it."

"That's Mother's biggest issue," she said. "But Daddy was always more concerned that I meet somebody who could take care of me."

"Who made enough money, you mean," I replied.

"Right," she said. "Embry makes a lot, so Daddy's all in. We'll just have to work on Mother."

"I'm rooting for you, so don't mess it up," I said as she laughed. "I have a meeting soon, so I'd better go. Keep me posted on Carlisle."

I did have a meeting with Jasper soon, but I had about fifteen minutes before it was due to start. Because I'd learned so well from Alice - - the best gossip I knew - - I decided to make a little detour over to Jake's office. He wasn't in it when I got there, but I saw him hobbling down the hall when I turned to leave.

"Do you have a few minutes?" I asked.

"I do," he said. "I'm glad you stopped by. I wanted to talk to you about your marketing budget."

"Oh god," I said. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," he said with a chuckle as he closed the door behind me. "We changed some of the formats on our reports, and I want you to start accounting for the marketing commissions in a different way when you submit your reports."

"That doesn't sound so bad," I said with relief.

I was always afraid I'd screw those budgets up. Before we delved into the heavy work matters, I had to soften him up so that I could fulfill the real reason for my visit: Embry gossip.

"How's your ankle?" I asked. "How much longer do you have to wear the boot?"

"It's better," he said. "But I'll be in this thing for at least another two weeks. I can't do all my usual workouts at the gym. That's the worst."

He laughed when I rolled my eyes. "That's all Emmett complained about when he had the flu," I said. "He didn't have the energy to go to the gym."

"It gets to be a part of your life," he said. "I'm surprised Emmett hasn't tried to take you with him."

"Oh, he tries," I said as Jake laughed. "He just found a gym he likes in Littlesea, and he got me a membership too. Let's see how much that gets used."

"You two are perfect together," he said, still laughing.

"We're thinking of having a cookout soon," I said. "When it's all planned, you're definitely on the invite list. Emmett asks about you all the time."

"I can't wait to see the new house," he said. "Just let me know when. Will the other chiefs be invited?"

I grinned at him, but not because I was about to make a joke. This was just the segue I needed.

"I'm not sure yet," I said. "But I am tempted to invite Rose just to see if she brings a certain cousin of yours."

Jake threw back his head and laughed.

"I'm laughing to keep from crying," he said as I guffawed. "I really cannot believe this shit. I've never seen Embry like this. He's really fucking serious about her."

"Would it be so bad?" I asked.

"If I didn't work here, I really wouldn't care," he said. "But I do work here and the last thing I need is Rose, or even worse, Caius's crazy ass, mad at me. I don't need those problems."

I laughed so hard I leaned forward and clutched my stomach. I'd forgotten about the Caius angle to the story: he was back to normal with Rose, and I felt sorry for any man who tried to cross her if her uncle found out.

"Jake, I feel for you, really I do," I said. "But it's not your problem. Just let nature take its course."

He gave a dramatic shiver which set me laughing all over again.

"I can't even think about it anymore," he said. "Let's talk about these reports."

The changes Jake wanted were very straightforward and didn't take long to explain. When I returned downstairs, Jasper was walking toward my office.

"You look like you're up to no good," he said as soon as he saw me.

"I'm just happy today. That's all," I said as he looked at me with a dubious expression.

"I live with Alice now, remember?" he said. "You're not fooling me."

I laughed as I unlocked my office door, never answering his question. There was very little I could say without revealing what I'd learned from Rose and Jake so I chose to remain silent.

"Your e-mail had me a little concerned," I said, quickly shifting into work mode. "You wanted to talk about a meeting you had with the HR team?"

"Yes. It's nothing bad," he said. "I'm just not sure how you'll take my request. The team and I have some thoughts about the HR admin position."

"I guess we do need to get somebody in there since Nora moved to I.T.," I said. "It's been a few months now."

Of the sixteen new hires and interns we brought onto the operations team in January, I'd retained all of them but one: Nora, the former HR admin assistant who'd complained to Jasper about not having her own office.

She never seemed fully onboard with being on our team and many people noticed her dour demeanor. Everybody had to go to HR at some point, so she interacted with the entire company. She did her job well enough, but there really wasn't room for all that attitude in human resources.

Carlisle even mentioned her in an exec team meeting about a month after she started.

"_I don't expect people to sit around and smile all day," he said, "but that admin in HR seems very unhappy." _

"_She's always up in my team talking with Lauren and Lizzie," Rose said. "She seems very friendly with them, but I've noticed the same thing when she's down in HR."_

"_Why don't you move her to your group?" Edward asked Rose. "You told me the other day you could use more admin help." _

"_We definitely could," Rose said as she glanced at me. "But I didn't think I could just take her from operations. She does seem to like our group though, and let's face it, that's half the battle around here." _

"_You really have a need for another admin?" I asked. _

"_I do," Rose replied. "The team's bigger now and we have more clients; there's so much more to be done. Lizzie's handling it, but Lauren's having to help her more and more, but Lauren's my assistant; I need her for other things."_

"_If you want Nora, you can have her," I said bluntly, causing the others to crack up laughing. "She wants to be up here where it's all new and shiny. We're too lowbrow for her downstairs."_

"_Some of the staff up here __**have**__ raised their noses in the air a little higher," Edward said with a smirk. _

"_It's Carlisle's fault for making his own personal Crystal Palace," I said. "That set the tone." _

_Jake, Edward, Rose, and Carlisle screamed with laughter. _

"_You've spent entirely too much time with my father," Carlisle said with grin as we got back to more important work matters. _

Jasper and I talked with Nora that day and she readily agreed to move upstairs to work on the I.T. team, preventing me from having to have a difficult conversation with her during the one-month reviews I'd conducted. She loved it up there, and we were happier without her down here.

On the days she wasn't needed elsewhere, Felice, our floating admin, had taken over Nora's duties. I even asked her if she'd like to work in HR permanently, but she declined.

"_Don't get me wrong," she said. "I like Jasper, Bree, and Fran, but I like floating more. I never get bored and I'm learning about the whole company. That's the reason I took the job in the first place. If I have to move to HR I will but..."_

"_No, you don't have to," I said quickly. "If you like floating, then that's where you'll stay. Your job is very important because Carlisle doesn't want us to use temps unless we absolutely have to, and we need you to back up the other admins if they're out sick or on vacation or just need help. I'm thrilled that you love your job. We need you in it."_

We hadn't hired anyone to replace Nora yet, but we all knew the situation couldn't go on like this forever.

"We've managed okay without her," Jasper said. "But I met with the team, and we decided that we'd rather have an HR receptionist going forward."

"Interesting," I said. "That would save some money."

"It would," he said. "We can absorb some of the admin duties, but we really do need someone to handle all the calls and traffic to the area. We're much busier these days. Ideally, we'd like to have everyone start using the main HR phone number as much as possible."

"That makes sense," I replied, "especially now that you've separated the duties. The receptionist could direct the calls: you for training or reporting issues, Fran for payroll and leave, and Bree for benefits."

"We think that would work best," Jasper said. "We have that lobby space in HR now, and it would be nice to have someone out there to keep people occupied until we're ready to meet with them."

"And keep these nosey asses from snooping around," I said as he laughed. "I'm sold. Great idea, Mr. HR Director."

"Thanks, Chief," he replied as I laughed.

"We already have someone in mind for the job," he said carefully. "The person doesn't have all the computer skills an admin would need, but we think he'd be great as receptionist. You know him; he's been here in the office a few times."

"Who?" I asked as I scrunched up my face trying to think of who it could be.

"Randall, Jared's partner," he said.

"I love Randall," I said as I grinned widely.

I'd had dinner with Jared and Randall several times, once alone and once with Alice, Jasper, and Emmett. Alice and Jasper had become quite close to them. Randall just had a knack for making people feel at ease; he was a lot like Jasper in that regard.

"He certainly has the personality for HR," I said. "I'd have to talk to him about discretion though; he does like to gossip."

"Randall's like Alice with gossip," he said. "Yes, he talks a lot to people he's close to. But if you notice, Alice gets a lot more information than she gives out. Randall's the same way. Jared told him that if this works out, he'll need to watch what he says; he understands."

"So you, Jared, and Randall already have this planned?" I remarked. "I bet Alice knows too."

"It was Alice and Bree's idea," he said as I cracked up laughing. "You know how Randall's job is: he's on call and he's not guaranteed a set amount of hours. He's been looking for something more permanent. I really do think he'd be a good fit."

Before I said another word, I called Jared and Alice down to my office. Jared started laughing as soon as he saw Jasper through the glass.

"I guess you know about our proposal," he said as he sat down.

"We've put a lot of thought into it," Alice said. "Give us credit for that."

"Yes, thanks for letting me in on it," I said as they laughed. "First of all, I want to know from Jared if you've really thought about what it'll be like working together and living together."

Alice and Jasper snorted and laughed. That's exactly what they were doing now.

"Yes," Jared said. "Randall and I both have. Remember, we're crazy busy in marketing right now. I really don't think I'll see him all that much around the office."

"We're busier than ever in HR too," Jasper said. "The company's almost double the size it was this time last year. He won't have time to be bothering Jared or doing a lot of socializing."

"Jasper and I barely see each other here some days," Alice said.

"If you want to post the job to get other candidates, I'll completely understand," Jared said. "But I do think Randall would work out great."

"Nobody has time to go through another round of interviews," I said, thinking aloud. "And quite a few people here are related to other staff in one way or another now. They've worked well."

"That's true," Jared said quickly. "There's Gianna, Tucker, Ricky, Larissa, and more. It's going well so far."

"I want Randall to submit a résumé and I will check his references, but I'm willing to give him a chance," I said. "If he's hired, I'd give him a one-month review just like everyone else. If he's not performing well, I _will _let him go."

"Understood," Jared said immediately.

"That's how it should be," Alice said.

"It's only fair," said Jasper.

The hopeful way they looked at me clearly indicated that they expected me to call him right now.

"What's his number?" I asked as they shouted in glee.

Randall answered on the second ring.

"Hi, Randall, it's Bella," I said. "I've got you on speaker so your buddies can listen in."

"Hon-_ey_, have I been waiting for your call," he shouted as all of us fell out laughing. "I can come in right now if you want."

"You might as well," I said while the others continued laughing. "I want a résumé and three work references."

"I'll send that to ya soon as I hang up," he said eagerly. "See you soon."

To Randall's credit, he didn't come in to the interview laughing and cracking jokes: he was serious as he talked about his past work experiences and how he thought they'd help him in this job.

Jasper and I both agreed to offer him the position, provided his references didn't offer any damning information; then we discussed what salary to offer him. Since I already planned to take time to work on my team budgets to reflect the formatting changes Jake requested, I also spent a little time adjusting the HR portion of my team's money accordingly.

At about noon, Alice stopped by. "Heidi and I are going to lunch," she said. "Care to join us?"

"No thanks," I said. "I brought lunch, and I need to get started on my assessment questions."

"Yes, you do, because I need to start scheduling them," she said with a grin.

"True," I replied.

Carlisle insisted that we do another round of assessments like I'd done back in August when I'd first started.

"_Look how much they helped when you did them last year," he said. "We need them again. I trust you to ask whatever you want, and I'd like you to give me your reports after you complete each group: finance, sales, operations, and I.T., in the order you decide."_

"_You forgot a team," I said with a smirk. "Yours. I'll be meeting with you and with Kate too." _

"_I look forward to it," he said. _

I'd be using most of the same questions as the ones I used before, but now that the company had evolved, there were more details I wanted to uncover. Alice really did need to start scheduling all of the interviews, so I needed to get the questions done today.

"See ya when I get back," she said. "Try to remember to _eat_ the lunch you brought. I bet if I opened that refrigerator right now, there'd be a whole shelf of uneaten lunches in there."

"Oh look, there's Heidi," I said, thankful for a means by which to distract my bossy assistant and friend. "Goodbye, Alice."

"Don't get huffy with Alice," Heidi said as she poked her head in my doorway. "She's right. We can't have you wasting away. Who knows who they'd replace you with."

"Thanks for that backhanded compliment," I said as they laughed and left.

I was hardly in danger of wasting away, but Alice wasn't far off. I generally did forget to eat lunch. I usually worked right through it.

I spent the rest of my day preparing the questions for the assessments, tailoring some to each group. I took a break at about 3:30, and tried to decide what time I wanted to leave. As I stared at my schedule for today and tomorrow, someone knocked on my door. I looked up into the grinning face of Caius.

"Did you come in person to give a report on the baby?" I asked with a smile as he sat down.

"More like I came here to escape all the family who've descended on the hospital," he said.

"I feel really sorry for those nurses," I said as he laughed. "So, is Chancellor here, or is he being difficult like his grandfather?"

"He's here," Caius said proudly. "My grandson was born at 1:17 p.m. Nine pounds exactly."

"Wow," I said. "That's a big baby. How's Esme? And Carlisle?"

"They're happy, relieved, and tired," he replied.

"I bet all the grandmas are there," I said, finally understanding the reason for Caius's visit.

"Yes, and that's why I'm here," he said as we laughed. "My sisters are there too, and some of Esme's family as well. There's too many people and they were arguing with the nurses about who could stay in the room when I left."

He pulled out his cell phone and showed me a picture of himself holding baby Chancellor.

"I know it's early, but I think he looks like you and Carlisle," I said.

"Thank god for that," Caius replied.

"You have to stop being so hard on Esme," I said. "She's your..."

"Don't say it," he said. "She will never be my family. She's the mother of my grandson. That's it."

"What if they get married?" I asked.

"Carlisle says he'll never marry," he replied. "He lived enough of the drama with me and my exes. That's one of my regrets. I don't have many, but that is one."

I had no idea why Caius was suddenly so chatty about his life, but as usual, I eagerly soaked up all that he would share and asked some questions.

"Are all of your exes still in Seattle?" I asked. "Do you see them?"

"Cassidy's the only one," he said. "When I was still associating with the family, I saw her often because she's remained friends with my sisters. She was my first wife. My parents warned me against her, they said she only wanted to marry me to climb the proverbial social ladder, but I didn't listen. At the time, I felt like I wanted to settle down. I mistakenly thought it was true love. My parents were absolutely right about her; she's never looked back."

"I'm surprised you married again after that," I said.

"I hadn't planned to," he said as I laughed. "I said I was done after Cassidy, but when Andrea came along, my father and I felt a marriage would help our family gain a little positive press locally. We needed it at the time. I took one for the team there."

I howled with laughter. As usual, Caius looked beyond pleased to have given me my daily laugh.

"Andrea leaves in Montreal now," he said. "After her, there was Millie and my reasons for marrying her were purely carnal."

He grinned wickedly at some memory of his third wife before he returned to the conversation.

"She divorced me actually," he said. "Millie was wild; she couldn't be contained by marriage. She was quite a woman. She lives in Los Angeles now. She's a stylist. She has some celebrities in her clientele."

"These marriages don't sound like they lasted very long," I said.

"They didn't," he replied. "Just a few years each. I'm interested in seeing how long Dora lasts with me. She seems quite determined."

"Are you?" I asked, laughing at his nonchalant attitude.

"Of course," he said with a grin. "I wouldn't have married her otherwise. I'd been single for a long time when I met her, and I felt solid with her, stable. Dora's very no-nonsense. I quite like that. We've done very well, for the most part."

"Until the rumors about you and me, right?" I asked.

"She was _not_ very happy when she heard about you from my sisters," he replied with a laugh. "Those first few months were rough. That was the first time anyone had accused me of doing something I really didn't do. I was rather upset by all of those rumors, trust me. I don't mind being hated for the bad things I've done, because I always felt like I had some greater reason for doing them. But I didn't appreciate being falsely accused. You handled it incredibly well, I have to say."

"I wasn't going to let rumormongers force me to quit," I said. "I loved my job, I still do, and it paid well. I would have only been hurting myself if I'd quit."

"That's why I put you in this specific office," he said. "Right near the lobby, out in the open. I knew from the beginning that the family wouldn't be happy about how you were hired, but I never thought they'd take things so far. They are very lucky you have such a forgiving nature."

"They're very lucky I need my paycheck," I said as Caius howled with laughter. I noticed his eyes drift down to the floor beside my desk.

"Taking up jogging?" he asked, smiling at my sneakers. "Those are stylish, and very practical."

"They're very Emmett," I replied. "He has so many pairs of Nikes I seriously can't even count. He was determined to get me to wear some too."

"I hope I get to be best man at the wedding," he said as I cackled.

"I can already tell you that's a 'no'," I said.

Caius leaned sideways in his chair, laughing hysterically.

"Emmett has a very big brother who will most definitely be best man whenever we get married," I said.

"Well, I deserve some special place of honor," he said. "You two wouldn't even know each other if it wasn't for me."

"That_ is_ a strong case for something special at the wedding," I said as he laughed.

"When is the wedding?" he asked. "Should I start having a suit made now?"

"No," I said with a grin. "Not just yet. As soon as Emmett asks me, you'll be the tenth person I tell. I promise."

"Tenth on your list of important people?" he asked when he stopped laughing. "I'll take it."

For the next half hour or so, Caius and I talked about some of the new clients, and he shared a few tales of a gossipy nature from his life on the road with the CMAs at the conferences.

"You could challenge Rose for the Chief of Information title," I said as he cracked up laughing.

"Like I told you, I'm quite enjoying my time at the conferences," he said. "I'm the old guy, so they don't think I pay attention to their little hookups, dramas, and rendezvous. But my eyes and ears are always open."

His phone rang then, and he frowned when he looked at it.

"I'd better go," he said. "It's Dora. I hope she hasn't been arguing with Cassidy again. They can't stand each other."

He was up, out of the office, and on the phone before I had a chance to form the word 'goodbye'.

I decided that I was done for the day, and I called New Business.

"What are we doing for dinner?" I asked.

"I'm in the mood for Chinese," he said. "We haven't had that in a while. I wanna try that restaurant right by the store where me and Phil got the patio set."

"That sounds great," I said, my mouth already watering. "I'm at a good stopping point for the day. I'm leaving now."

"Good," he said. "I'll meet you at the restaurant. Do you know where I'm talking about?"

"Yes. I'm not sure what time the next bus comes," I said. "I'll check my schedule, but I'll call you from the bus when I'm almost at the Park and Ride."

I sent my daily note to the team that I was leaving for the day and packed my bag. I was all ready to leave when I realized that I didn't have those blasted Nikes on. I didn't want to hear it from Emmett, so I took the time to switch shoes. I grumbled about them, but I was actually a little touched that he got them for me. And who knew they'd be such conversation starters.

* * *

When I found the restaurant and parked, I knew I was at the right place because New Business was outside waiting for me, talking on his cell phone. I smiled at the sight of him, in track pants and a sweatshirt, but I frowned when I saw a woman, with perfect hair and makeup - - wearing stilettos and the tightest outfit she could find, standing near him clearly trying to get his attention.

My whole life, I'd never considered myself a jealous person, but I'd also never loved anyone in a relationship like I loved New Business, so apparently all of my emotions were intensified.

I looked into my rearview mirror and tried to smooth down my hair, and I applied a little Chapstick to my lips even though we were about to eat. Seeing that woman shouldn't have caused such a reaction in me, but it did.

However, all thoughts of her were forgotten when I stepped out of the car and my favorite pair of dimples were flashed at me.

"Don't you look so cute with your sneakers?" he remarked, smirking at me the whole time.

"Hey, you said I looked hot in them this morning," I replied as we shared a hug and a quick peck on the lips.

"Mm, I stand corrected," he said as he kissed me again. He held the door for me and we walked inside the restaurant where we were soon seated.

"I'm glad you left early today," he said. "You put in a ton of hours there. I understand what it's like, but I hope you can have a more reasonable schedule at some point."

"That makes two of us," I replied as I scanned the menu.

When the waiter returned with our drinks, we placed our orders. Emmett laughed when I took a long drink of my soda, grabbed some of the wonton chips that had been set before us, and stuffed them into my mouth like a wild woman.

"Don't laugh at me," I said as crumbs fell from my mouth, which only made him laugh harder. "I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"You take a lunch every day," he said. "You need to eat it. I need you at full strength."

"For what?" I asked huskily.

"For cooking my food and cleaning my house," he said with a serious face.

I laughed so hard I had to put my hand over my face to keep from screaming. I started choking and had to down the rest of my soda.

"You're supposed to be one of these modern superwomen," he said. "You're supposed to work, clean, and take care of the kids. We don't even have kids. I hate to say it, but you're slacking."

We were laughing when the waiter returned with another soda for me.

"Thank you," I said.

"When do you leave this week?" I asked New Business when we finally stopped laughing.

"Wednesday," he replied. "I'll be back Thursday night. What's your week like?"

"Assessments," I said. "Carlisle wants me to do another round. We'll be doing more hiring soon. Oh, and then we're having a party for the interns Friday. That's their last day."

"Another Alice Social Committee Spectacular event?" he asked with a grin.

"You know it," I replied, smiling. "They've put together some good events. It's great for morale, and in this case, the interns really deserve a good sendoff. They've been great."

"On the subject of big events," he said, "I wanted to talk to you about your dad's housewarming next weekend."

"You don't have to go out of town do you?" I asked in alarm. Charlie and Sue _really_ wanted us there. My dad had basically threatened to disown me if I didn't show.

"No, calm down," he said with a grin. "Your dad made it pretty clear that we need to be there. I wanted to ask where we can stay in Forks because the whole family wants to go now. Even Brett and his parents. Nobody's ever been to Forks, and we wanna see where you grew up."

"There's a few motels," I said. "But let me talk to Charlie and Sue. There's no way they'll let you guys pay to stay somewhere. Everybody can't fit in the new house, but we do have friends. We'll manage. But I thought we were making it a day trip?"

"Well, Emily had an idea when she told me she wanted to go," he said. "She wants to stop by and see her friend on the way back, so..."

"The lady in Port Angeles? The one who helped her when Tim left?" I asked, recalling Emily's story from Christmas.

"Yeah," he said. "I don't really think it's a good idea to dredge all that stuff up for Emily when the wedding's only a few weeks away, but she and Ma said we should all do it. Ma wants to stay over, and then we can have more time to spend with Emily's friend."

"I think that's a great idea," I said. "I'll call Charlie tonight. You said everybody's coming. Is that Liam too?"

"Yeah," he said. "We don't travel much so everybody's excited. I'm surprised Gianna didn't tell you."

I didn't respond right away because my senses were overwhelmed by the steaming plates of food our waiter brought to the table. We didn't talk for several minutes as we dug in, smiling and trading food as we ate. With a clearer head now that I had my food, I picked up the conversation.

"Gianna's up on the eleventh floor now," I said. "I hardly ever see her. We don't have much time to talk at work."

"I thought she might've told you about our talk with Ma about the house," he said. "I've been meaning to tell you but we've been so busy."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Now that she's moved in with Harry, and me and Emily are gone, we asked if she wanted to sell the house," he said. "Me, Liam, and Emily talked to her about it Sunday while we cleaned the rest of the basement. She's not ready."

"I guess she has to do it in her own time," I said. "I'm just glad she's not there anymore. That house was a little depressing."

"Tell me about it," he mumbled.

"Is everything out of the house?" I asked.

"Just about," he said. "Me and Liam wanted her to get rid of the rest of the furniture. We've had all that stuff for years. But some of the people at her church want it, so they've been coming to pick it up. But all the personal stuff is out."

"She's got a lot of stuff in her room at our house," I said.

"It's a big ass room," he replied. "I know she has some of my dad's stuff in there."

"I'm glad we made space for her," I said.

"She seems happy at Harry's," he said. "But I want her to know she has a place here too. Thanks for being okay about it."

"I love her," I said. "I want her happy too."

"Happy too?" he asked with a grin, flashing those dimples.

"Yes," I said. "I'm pretty happy myself these days."

"And why is that?" he asked, grinning more broadly.

"I'm not exactly sure," I said as he laughed. "It's not like my life has changed_ that _much this past year."

"You _did _meet me," he said. "I have made your life a little bit more interesting. You gotta admit."

"I had a nice peaceful quiet life before I met you," I said. "Now I get no free time at all."

"Quit whining," he said. "You got me. You're lucky."

"Is lucky the new word for fucked?" I asked as we guffawed, talking and laughing as we finished our dinner.

* * *

**From: **Bella Swan

**Sent: **Monday, June 3, 2013 7:25 AM  
**To:** ATS (All)  
**Subject: **HR Reception: Randall Lister

I am pleased to announce a new addition to the Human Resources team: Randall Lister, our new HR Receptionist.

Randall comes to us from the Convention Center via Event Team Services where he provided exemplary customer service in an extremely challenging and constantly changing environment. I have every confidence that he will do the same for us as he helps the HR team function even more efficiently than it already does.

Welcome, Randall!

**~ * NBG * ~**

"At the convention center, I set up events, on call," Randall said. "You made me sound so important. I _love_ it."

Jasper, Alice, Logan, Jared, and I cracked up laughing.

"Your old boss said you helped smooth over some very ugly incidents," I said. "I know you'll do well here. All jokes aside, I'm happy to have you."

"We all are," Jasper said.

"Thank you," Randall said, actually blushing a little. "You won't regret giving me this chance. I promise."

Jasper and Alice brought in donuts to welcome Randall, so I snagged one and made my way through the gathering crowd. Randall was clearly popular. I hoped this all worked out.

Even the chiefs were excited about it, but for more practical reasons, of course.

"It makes perfect sense to have a receptionist just for HR," Carlisle said.

"Especially since we're so much busier now," Jake said.

"We're still growing too," Edward said. "When we do the next round of hiring, he'll be able to help Jasper and the team with all the callbacks."

"He actually seems happy to be here," Rose said. "We need someone like that to be the first person you see in HR, not like Nora was."

"I think he'll do well," I said. "I think he's a good fit."

Carlisle nodded, then yawned, causing me to chuckle.

"Is baby Chancellor keeping you up at night, dad?" I asked as the others laughed.

"It's like he refuses to sleep at night," Carlisle said tiredly. However, the huge smile on his face betrayed the exasperation in his voice.

"Have you changed any diapers?" I asked.

"I tried one," he replied as we laughed.

"Diaper changing is simply not one of my talents, so I leave it to his mother and grandmothers," Carlisle said.

"How's the nanny search going?" Edward asked.

"It's my understanding that it's on hold for now," Carlisle said. "With our mothers there, and Dora and all the aunts stopping by almost as much, there hasn't been a need. We still have the staff there for the household things, so I don't think we need a nanny. Personally, I like this arrangement."

"Wait, your mother and Esme's are staying with you right now?" Jake asked.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "I have plenty of space and when my mother found out that Esme's mother was staying for a few weeks, she wouldn't be outdone. So she's there too."

"Dora wants to prove that she's not just a step-grandmother," Rose said. "She's been going over there a lot."

"And our mothers have been right there too," Edward said.

"The baby loves it," Rose said. "Somebody's always holding him."

"With all our moms around, I feel sorry for Esme," Edward said, "but she knew what she was getting into when she started dating this guy."

"Okay, let's get started," Carlisle said when we stopped laughing. "This is our first meeting in June as hard as that is to believe."

"I don't know where this year has gone," Rose said. "It's flown by."

I completely agreed with her there. This time last year, I'd been working at the funeral home in Phoenix spending my abundance of spare time either reading or hanging out with Mike Newton, wondering if life had anything more in store for me.

Sometimes I actually got chills when I thought about how vastly different my life was now, simply by answering that one little Craigslist ad.

* * *

Yet another week flew by and before I knew it, Saturday arrived and the extended McCarty family and I were driving the familiar roads in Forks for Charlie and Sue's housewarming.

Harry drove Maggie, Mary, and Waylon, all of whom had become quite good friends. I drove Emily, Gianna, Kim, and Henry. We thought little Austin would protest being parted from his big brother, but he wanted to ride in "the boys' car" so he did, in his uncle's car with Emmett, Liam, and Brett.

Charlie and Sue also invited Angie who was bringing Ben and his parents. They were using this opportunity to go over plans for the wedding with her family. Sue told me that Angel and Mrs. Weber had talked of nothing but their impending visit all week.

When I talked to Charlie about where everyone could stay, he had a good solution.

"_The old house is still on the market," he said. "There's still basic furniture in there because the realtor said to leave it there for staging. I'll ask the realtor not to show the house this weekend; that shouldn't be a problem. Haven't been many bites." _

"I have never seen so many fucking trees in my life," Gianna said when she got out of my car at the old house.

"Welcome to Forks," I said as I raced up the sidewalk into the waiting arms of my dad.

"Hey, kid," he said with a huge grin. "Good trip?"

"Very good," I said as I released him. "I can't believe it's not raining."

"I know," he said with a little grin. "Perfect day."

I wanted to ask him what it was a "perfect day" for, but he'd already started greeting Emmett and all of the McCartys. We piled inside of the house I'd called home every summer for so many years; it seemed extra tiny with so many people inside.

"I'm glad everybody could make it," Charlie said. "We're still getting set up at the new house, so hang out here until about two, then come on up. Bella knows the way. We bought some food to leave here, so you can cook or do whatever, but we'll have food there. I'll see ya."

As the McCartys checked out the house and some wandered out into the backyard leading to the woods in the back, I attempted to figure out what was going on.

"What's wrong?" Emmett asked. "You look upset."

"I'm not upset," I said. "But something's up. Charlie basically threatened us to be here today and then he just disappears and tells us to come to the house later. It's not a big deal, but it's not like him at all."

"While you figure it out, detective," he said as I laughed, "point me to the jon."

New Business wasn't the only one who needed the restroom and after everyone freshened up, Angie called and we all trekked down the street to the Weber house, laughing and talking while we walked.

"Ben's parents already look tired of your mom and sister," I said as Angie gave a bitter chuckle.

"If I'm still engaged after this weekend, then I'll know that family truly loves me," she said as I laughed.

We couldn't stay long but Angie's family really took to Emmett's family: I had to practically drag Angel and Mrs. Weber away from Emmett. After that monumental task, I had to pry Maggie and Mary away from Reverend Weber as they regaled him with details about their own churches back in Seattle.

"We'll see each other at the housewarming," I yelled. "But we need to get there first. Let's go."

* * *

"I didn't think this place would be so big," Angie said when we finally arrived at Charlie and Sue's new house.

"That's because Charlie keeps calling it his 'little house by the river'," I said.

As Angie laughed, I took the time to look around the spacious home. What I saw confirmed my suspicions: something was definitely going on. I understood this was a housewarming, and I knew that my dad and Sue knew lots of people, but the decor around me was simply too formal for a mere "come see our new house" party.

The furniture in the huge open first floor had been pushed to the corners of the room, and about ten long plastic tables had been placed in the middle of the room, five on each side, all facing the glass wall and sliding doors to the long deck and the view of the river beyond. Plastic tablecloths covered all of the tables and vases filled with wildflowers sat on top of each one.

I looked for New Business and found him outside on the deck at the back of the house, talking with Richie, one of the cops on the Forks PD. I spoke to Richie and then pulled Emmett to the side.

"Don't you think this is a little overdone for a housewarming?" I asked. "This place was nothing like this when we visited in February."

"Well, for one thing, Madam Detective, they said they weren't done decorating when we were here before," he said as I laughed. "For another thing, I've never been to a housewarming, so I don't know what they look like."

"Something's up," I said. "I can feel it."

"Something like..."

Emmett's comment was interrupted by Charlie, who looked a little too smug for my liking.

"What's going on, old man?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"She's convinced that this isn't a housewarming party," New Business said, openly laughing at me.

"That's cuz she's a smart girl," Charlie said as he grinned.

"Told you so," I said to Emmett, who finally looked curious.

"What's going on?" he asked Charlie.

"No time to talk," my dad replied as he grabbed my hand. "Sue wants Bella upstairs."

Emmett clearly wanted to follow us and ask more questions, but Mike and Ryan - - two more officers from the Forks PD who worked with Charlie - - approached him.

"What did you tell all your guys about Emmett?" I asked as we walked up the stairs. "Why are they so interested in him all the sudden?"

"They just wanna meet the guy who snagged you, that's all," he said. "They all feel like your godfathers and big brothers. They're just getting to know him."

I shook my head as he laughed. I felt for New Business, but right now, I had bigger issues.

"Are you finally going to tell me what's going on?" I asked.

"I think you already know," he replied with a knowing grin.

"It almost seems like you've got it set up for a wedding down there," I said. "But surely you would've told your only child about that."

"My only child always trusts her instincts," he said. "She learned that from me."

"Wait until mom hears about this," I said as he laughed and laughed.

"Congratulations," I said as I hugged him.

"Thanks," he said. "We thought this would be a real nice surprise for everybody."

"It looks like half of Forks is already here," I said.

"And La Push," he said with a smile as we looked down at the growing crowd of talking and laughing people milling about downstairs, inside and outside of the house.

Just then, Sue frantically burst out of the master bedroom. She grabbed my arm and yanked me along behind her. I waved to my dad who disappeared into one of the other bedrooms.

"Wait, am I in the wedding?" I asked excitedly when I entered the room.

"Yes," Sue said. "I want you to be a bridesmaid. Thank _you_ for being understanding about this."

Sue's three sisters were already inside, dressed in matching sundresses and sandals, and they did _not_ look amused.

"Did Charlie tell you about this, Bella?" asked her oldest sister, Michelle.

"About three seconds ago," I said with a chuckle. "You aren't upset about it are you? Who's ever been to a surprise wedding before? I think it's great."

"Thank you, Bella," said Sue as she rolled her eyes at her still-upset sisters.

"We always help plan each other's weddings," said Erma, the next oldest. "Sue knows that."

"Some warning would've been nice," said Natalie, the youngest.

"Just shut up already," yelled Sue. "If you don't want to be a part of it, then take off your dresses and leave. This isn't about you. It's my day and I did it my way."

"Do I get a sundress too?" I asked before there was any further escalation.

"Yes, yours is right here," Sue said with a smile as she pointed to the closet. "The shoes are there too. You had some clothes at the old house, so I think I got the sizes right."

Before I stepped into the closet, I pulled Sue into a tight hug and rubbed her back.

"I'm so happy for you," I said. "Thank you for asking me to be a part of it."

"I'm glad you're here," she said as her eyes watered. "Charlie was worried you'd be sucked into something at work and wouldn't make it. He's so happy."

"He's happy because of you," I said.

"Thank you," she said as a few tears fell. "Now hurry and change. I need to fix your hair."

I noticed that her sisters wore much more chastened expressions once they saw my happiness for Sue in contrast to their bad attitudes.

I took a moment to examine the dresses Sue chose for us: they were sleeveless and ankle length with criss-crossing straps covering the open backs, almost like a corset. Each dress was made from the same lightweight cream-colored fabric which featured a print with tiny turquoise flowers. My shoes matched those of Sue's sisters as well: cream-colored strappy sandals with a low heel.

Once I stripped down, I quickly realized that I had a problem.

"My bra won't work with this sundress," I said. "The straps will show through."

"Don't wear a bra," Sue said. "There's a bra kind of built in, and ruffles over the chest. Put it on and I'll tighten the laces in the back."

"Okay. If you want saggy boob bridesmaids in all your pictures, then that's on you," I said as her sisters cracked up laughing.

"You are_ so _your father's daughter," she said as she laughed too and tightened the back of my dress once I slipped it on.

"See? I was right," she said with a smug grin as we stood before the mirror.

The ruffles at the top of the dress, combined with its structured "bra" lining, and the lacing, did indeed make my girls stand at attention.

"I love this dress," I said to Sue. "I feel like I could wear this; it's not like those prom-looking bridesmaid dresses."

She nodded and smiled as she started loosely braiding my hair. Someone knocked on the door and Erma opened it a tiny bit so the person couldn't see into the room.

"We're ready when you are," the person said.

"Five more minutes," yelled Sue as she stuck a single flower into my hair and handed me a tube of lipstick. I put a little on and my look was complete.

"Let's get you ready," I said with mounting excitement.

After Sue touched up her hair and makeup, her sisters finally got into the spirit as we helped her carefully step into her dress. It was strapless, form-fitting, and long, down to her ankles, in a solid cream color, a shade lighter than our sundresses. The dress had no adornment at all, no ruffles or lace, but her beautiful bold turquoise jewelry - - a pendant, a bracelet on each wrist, and earrings - - perfectly accentuated it.

"You look stunning," I said as she slipped on her shoes.

"Thank you," she said with a beaming smile. "I've waited for this day for a long time."

As Michelle opened the door, a booming voice rang out from downstairs, silencing the many gathered voices. We left the bedroom to stand by the railing to look down over the grand room below to see what was going on.

"If everyone could have a seat," said the owner of the voice. "I'm Terry Clearwater, Sue's uncle. I'm a member of the Quileute nation and a council leader."

"I'm Revered George Weber of Forks Presbyterian Church," said Angie's dad who stood beside him.

"You may have wondered why Sue and Charlie were so insistent on everyone being here today for their _housewarming_," Terry said, putting air quotes around the last word as many people laughed.

There were murmurs around the room where easily a hundred people were now seated at the tables or standing around or in the doorway. I saw so many people I recognized, including most everyone who worked at the police station, some of whom were in uniform.

"Sue and Charlie wanted all of their friends here to join in their special day," Reverend Weber said with a wide grin.

Someone gasped loudly and I laughed at the shocked expressions around the room.

"Sue and Charlie are getting married, right here, right now," said Terry as squeals, gasps, chatter, and laughter rang out around the room.

"If you know Charlie or Sue, then you know that you'd be hard pressed to find two more headstrong people," said Reverend Weber.

"You can say that again," muttered Natalie.

"They wanted to do this their way on their own terms, so please don't be mad at them," said Terry.

"Sue and Charlie want to thank those of you who brought housewarming gifts, and in lieu of gifts for the wedding, they contacted several local charities," Reverend Weber said. "There's a table in the back with containers where you can make donations if you like. Now, I think we're ready to begin. If the groomsmen could make their way forward."

I turned around and came face to face with my grinning father and his four closest friends who wore similar grins. I flung my arms around Charlie.

"I'm so happy for you," I said with a shaky voice.

"Don't start bawlin'," he said. "I put on this monkey suit, so don't go messing it up."

I laughed and released him. "I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he whispered as he hugged me again. "See ya downstairs."

While I'd been hugging Charlie and trying not to cry, Sue had dashed back into the bedroom so he wouldn't see her in her dress. When the guys went down, she emerged with little bouquets of wildflowers ties with satiny cream ribbon which she handed to each one of us.

"Almost forgot these," she said.

I really did feel like a bridesmaid and I hadn't gone to a single dress fitting for it. A song I didn't recognize soon began to play and Sue lined us up.

"You first, Bella," she said with a grin.

"No pressure at all," I said as the others laughed. "You look amazing, Sue. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," she said. "Now go."

I carefully walked down the steps and then onto a runner that had been placed down the center of the room. With all eyes on me, I made it to the front and stood across from my dad and the groomsmen. Charlie flashed me a thumbs up sign, then quickly turned his attention back to Sue who was waiting for the other bridesmaids to walk down the aisle.

I had time to take in the scene, first smiling at how handsome my dad looked in his tan suit, white shirt, and tie. It was a new suit, and I sensed that Sue had selected it. I loved how happy she made him and I was thankful for whatever force had brought them together.

Behind me, the sliding doors to the back of the house had been opened and the gurgles and rushes of the flowing river could be heard. I recognized some of the staff from Charlie's favorite diner bustling about the kitchen as they quietly prepared food that would apparently be served right after the ceremony.

Finally, I turned my attention to the faces in the crowd. I bit my lip to keep from laughing when I saw Angel and Mrs. Weber furiously whispering to each other. Angie caught my eye and shook her head.

"Did you know?" she mouthed to me.

"No," I mouthed back, just as Sue reached the front of the room with the rest of us.

The ceremony moved quickly and was unlike any that I'd ever attended. Both Terry and Reverend Weber presided and there were elements of a traditional Christian ceremony, with a few apparent elements from the Quileutes as well.

My eyes searched the room for New Business and quickly found him sitting next to Maggie, who was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. He grinned at me and I grinned back and, as if our eyes were magnetically drawn together, we couldn't seem to stop gazing at one another. Only when applause rang out as my dad and Sue shared their first married kiss did my eyes break away from his.

For the next hour, I was pulled into conversation after conversation with all the people I'd known since childhood, only they weren't interested in me: they wanted to know all about Emmett.

"Okay, your dad's cop friends don't mind threatening people," he said after a particularly intense chat with my Mark, dad's deputy.

"What can I say?" I asked with a laugh. "They love me, and they don't know you. I think they're being pretty nice."

He rolled his eyes as I continued to laugh.

"How's Emily doing?" I asked. "I told her there would be a lot of people here for the housewarming but there's even more than I thought."

"She's doing good," he said. "She went outside a few times with Brett; they're walking along the riverbank now. She's okay."

"Shit, here comes Angel and Mrs. Weber," I said as I grabbed his arm. "Let's go."

I saw Angie and Ben in a corner holding plates of food as they talked and laughed, so I led us over to them.

"We're a little jealous," Angie said when we reached them. "This was a great idea."

"It was," Ben said. "A surprise wedding. Probably a lot easier to plan too."

"Charlie Swan is full of surprises," I said with a chuckle.

"Your mom's gonna be mad she went home and missed this," Emmett said.

"She'll have me on the phone all night," I said as we laughed.

"Your parents seem like they're having a good time," New Business said to Ben.

"They are," he said. "A lot of people know them in Seattle, but they like when people don't recognize them. Nobody knows them here. They're having a great time."

"I'm starving," I said. "I'm going to get some food."

I'd only taken about five steps when someone stepped directly in front of me. He was a few inches taller than me and thickly built, with dirty blond hair and very intense eyes that were firmly planted on me.

"I'm sorry, but I had to introduce myself," he said as he took my hand, raised it, and kissed the back of it. "I'm Chris Dennings. My dad owns the place right down the road from here. Your dad and mine are neighbors."

"Nice to meet you," I said as I quickly yanked my hand away. "I'm Bella Swan."

"If I knew the chief had such a beautiful daughter, I'd have made it my business to meet you before now," he said with a cocky grin.

I had no chance to reply because I felt a familiar hand on my back.

"Hey, babe," New Business said as he slid his arm around my waist. "We'd better get something to eat before it's all gone."

"Yes, let's," I said as I grabbed his hand to pull him along. Only he wasn't moving because he was too busy glaring at Chris as they faced off.

"It was nice meeting you," I said to Chris as I reached down and patted Emmett firmly on the ass. That got his attention and I was finally able to lead him away.

"Fucker," he grumbled as we made our way to the corner of the room.

"I don't even know that guy," I said. "He said his dad is Charlie's neighbor. I don't think he lives there though, just the dad."

The absolute last thing I needed right now was an angry New Business, so I quickly led him to a seat. When he sat down, I sat on his lap and, in a very unlady-like fashion, stuck my tongue in his mouth and kissed him wantonly.

"You just calm down," I said when I pulled away several moments later. "I don't know that guy and I don't want to."

"I'm sorry," he said when he caught his breath. "I was already on edge because all those cops and friends of your dad's keep coming up talking shit to me, saying I better not mess you over. And you look so fucking hot in that dress, and that dude's been undressing you with his eyes ever since you walked down the steps. He's not the only one either."

"You know, I see women drooling all over you sometimes," I said as he grinned. "I manage not to go all batshit, so show me the same courtesy, please."

"Yes, Madam Bad-Ass," he said as he leaned in and kissed me again.

"_Ahem_," said Sue with a big grin. "It's our wedding. We should be the ones playing kissy face."

"I was about to turn the hose on you two a few seconds ago," Charlie said with a smirk. "Sheesh."

"I was just saying to Bella that I like how you two pulled this off," New Business said, ignoring their jibes. "I like your style."

"We _are_ pretty pleased with ourselves," said Charlie.

"I, for one, would like to thank you for keeping me out of the loop," I said as they howled with laughter.

"Too bad Beth Weber doesn't feel the same way," said Sue. "She's majorly ticked that the Rev didn't tell her."

"That woman," I said as I shook my head.

"We didn't come over her to make jokes," Charlie said. "C'mon kid. We gotta take more pictures. You might as well come too, Emmett. I think everybody's met you by now."

"Don't you mean threatened me by now?" he muttered as we laughed again. "If the whole police force is here, who the hell is watching the town?"

"If something happens, they can drive there in less than ten minutes," I said. "I think the town will be okay."

"People love this kid," Charlie said with pride. "They're just making it clear that you better treat her right."

"Who's making sure she treats me right?" New Business asked, causing us to laugh even more.

"That's not my problem," said Charlie as he held out his hand to me. "Pictures. Now."

* * *

The housewarming-slash-wedding lasted for several more hours. A few people, myself included, had brought housewarming gifts, so Sue opened those and announced the totals for the charity donations as well.

We all helped clean, along with Sue and Angie's families, as Charlie and Sue talked with the guests as they laughed and thanked everyone for coming. Even Ben's parents - - the super-rich Cheneys - - helped, to the amusement of us all. In no time, we were done and had settled around the deck and back yard, eating the rest of the food and cake. I hadn't noticed earlier, but there was a little trailer set up at the side of the house that contained several toilets. They'd thought of everything.

"Are you going on a honeymoon?" Emily asked.

"Next month," Sue said. "We both had to do a lot to get this weekend off, so we have to wait a bit to get another one."

"I'm glad you all came," Charlie said. "We're all family now; I'm glad you got to see where Bella and Angie grew up. It's boring to some, but we like it."

"Thank you for inviting us," Maggie said. "It's nice to have somewhere to go as a family. We have to make more trips like this."

When Austin started getting fussy, we all decided we'd better call it a night. It had been a _rather_ long and eventful day.

We decided that Maggie, Harry, Mary, and Waylon would stay with my parents at the new house while the rest of us went back to the old one.

"There's only one bathroom," I said to Emmett. "And there's more room here."

"Ah, we'll be fine," Liam said. "There's plenty of room at your old house. It's just for one night. Let the parents have this place."

"Uh, we're parents," said Tara, Ben's mom. "If there's room, would you mind if we stayed here too?"

"What's the matter? Not enough room at the Weber house?" I asked as everyone fell out laughing.

"Not enough earplugs is more like it," said Ben's dad as we laughed more. "That woman is just too much."

"You warned us, Angie," said Ben's mom, "but I just couldn't understand. Your mother and sister have to be experienced."

"I wish I didn't have to go back," Ben said grumpily.

"Welcome to the family," Angie said brightly as we all cackled.

We stayed a little longer but I found that the sound of the river was lulling me to sleep.

"That makes two of us," Emmett said with a yawn. "We should get going."

"We'll stop by in the morning," Charlie said as he hugged me goodbye. "I'm glad you were here. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said. "I love you."

"Love you too," he said.

"Goodbye, _mom_," I said when I hugged Sue.

"Don't let Renée hear you say that," she said as everyone laughed, even Ben's parents.

Back at the old house, we put the kids in my old bedroom, and Emily and Brett in the tiny little spare bedroom. Liam and Emmett insisted on sleeping downstairs in the living room, so Gianna and I took the last bedroom. Ultimately, Emmett took the couch and Liam said he'd sleep on Charlie's old recliner. I happened to know that it was in fact very comfortable.

While they all figured out a bathroom rotation for tonight and tomorrow and decided what time we should leave for Port Angeles in the morning, I called my mom.

"Was it necessary to call me eight times?" I asked. "I let you know we got here safely."

"I've been dying over here," she said as I laughed. "What took so long? I thought you would've called me back hours ago."

"Well, what was billed as a housewarming party was actually a surprise wedding," I said.

I held the phone away from my ear while she screamed, then she demanded that I recap the entire day. When Gianna returned from the bathroom in her night clothes, she settled onto the bed and listened in with interest. I stood to leave so as not to disturb her, but she pulled me back, laughing at the portions of the conversation she could hear from my side and what she could hear my mom yelling through the phone. When the call mercifully ended, I collapsed back onto the pillow as she laughed at me.

"I love Renée," she said. "She's so dramatic, and she owns it."

"That she does," I said. "I'm going down to say goodnight. I'll be right back."

I almost didn't want to disturb Emmett and Liam down in the living room; they were engaged in what was clearly deep conversation.

I walked over and kissed Emmett, chuckling at how his long legs dangled over the edge of the couch.

"Just wanted to say goodnight," I said. "You don't look all that comfortable."

"I'm fine," he said. "See you in the morning."

"Watch out for Gi," Liam said with a smirk. "She kicks."

"She kicks_ you,_" I said as they laughed. "You probably deserve it."

Upstairs, Gianna and I could not stop laughing at our sleeping arrangement.

"You get fresh, and I'll report you to Jasper," she said as I cackled.

"This takes me back," I said as I slipped into bed and pulled the covers up. "Angie and I had many a sleepover here. This house was always an escape from her loud family."

"Her mom and sister are a little much," she said. "What were the guys up to when you came up here?"

"Deep in conversation," I said. "I almost didn't want to interrupt."

"I figured they would be," she said. "Liam won't shut up these days. I was all for him going to counseling but now he wants to talk about everything."

"When they first said they'd go to family counseling, I told Emmett the counselor could retire off the money she'd make off them," I said as Gianna laughed. "I was only kidding, but I just might be right. I never thought they'd all stick with it."

"I didn't either," she said. "I've been to a couple of the sessions when Liam asked. Apparently, Em hasn't been to that many though."

"And he's very happy about that," I said. "Liam and Maggie both see her on their own, right?"

"Yes," she replied. "He wants Kim to start going to, but she doesn't want to and I'm not making her."

"Wow," I said. "Do you think it's helping?"

"I do," she said. "For Liam and Maggie, especially. I think Liam feels like the counselor really listens to him, and I don't think he ever felt that way before. He talks to me, but not much about what they went through growing up. He's a lot... lighter... now, if that makes sense."

"It does," I said. "But he's still got that temper. I thought he was gonna beat the shit out of that guy on Maggie's street the other day."

Gianna smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "He'll always have that temper, I guess," she said. "But he's a lot calmer at home, that's all I care about."

I wanted to ask about the deeper reasons for her sudden melancholy, but I was too tired. I yawned and turned off the light. "Good night," I said. "Stay on your side of the bed."

"You're hot, but I'll try," she said with a laugh.

I smiled as I snuggled into my pillow. I hadn't expected it to be like this but this probably would be the last night in my old house. What a way to spend it.

"Bella?" Gianna whispered just as I'd almost drifted off to sleep.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I'm glad you're in the family," she said quietly. "We needed you. Not just Emmett. All of us."

"Well, you certainly got the better end of the deal," I said as she screamed with laughter and used her pillow to muffle the sound. "All I got was drama and problems."

"Hey, that's not true," she said, still laughing. "You also got a big hot guy who won't do housework."

I laughed along with her then until we finally did fall asleep. I'd been completely joking with Gianna: I came out on the better end of this deal. By a longshot. I got Emmett.

* * *

"What the hell is going on down there?" I grumbled as I jerked upright in bed on Sunday morning.

The shouting and yelling from downstairs drifted up to me and it sounded like everybody but me was already up. I hastily put a bra and shirt on from my overnight bag and scrambled down the hall and down the steps.

"...body shut up and calm down," shouted Harry just as I arrived downstairs. Austin appeared out of nowhere and ran to me. I sat down on the step and pulled him onto my lap. He was wiping tears from his face, and Kim and Henry were sitting on the bottom step, leaning against one another.

I looked around the room and realized that some McCarty family drama was in progress. Emily sat on the couch in the living room, slumped over crying while Brett tried to console her. Gianna had pushed Liam over to the side; his face looked murderous. An angry-looking Emmett was rubbing his eyes tiredly. Maggie stood beside Harry, glaring at him with her arms crossed.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Tim," Emmett said curtly.

I gasped as my mouth fell open.

"Emily called her friend, Miss Allen, to tell her what time we'd be leaving here," Harry said.

Gianna picked up the story from there.

"Miss Allen told Emily that Tim's back in Port Angeles," she said. "He got in touch with her, looking for Emily. She says he's been in rehab, and he's trying to get his life right. She said she'd call him over if we want."

I let out a sigh and hugged Austin a little tighter. I didn't really know what to say, so I just thought out loud.

"In my gut, I knew he'd come back," I said. "From what Emily said at Christmas, I think he really loved her when they were young."

"I think so too," Gianna said as Liam rolled his eyes at her.

"So you think we should just let him back in the boys' life, just like that?" Maggie shrieked as Emily sobbed louder from the living room.

"No, of course not," I said, though the question wasn't exactly directed to me. "I guess you've all been fighting about whether to go to Port Angeles after all."

"You got it," muttered New Business as Austin rested his head against my chest.

Everyone seemed to be eyeing me cautiously, waiting for me to say something, so I didn't disappoint them.

"I don't know what the consensus is," I said, "but I'm glad Tim's back. I'd rather know where he is than always be wondering whether he'd show up one day."

"He can't just show up after leaving like he did and expect to see them," New Business said tightly, clearly annoyed by my position.

"Well, I agree with Bella," Gianna said. "I think you all should go and talk to him. Not the boys, not yet, and not Emily if she doesn't want to go, but Tim knows he fucked up. He can't make any demands."

"I agree with Gianna and Bella," Harry said. "If Miss Allen was as good a friend to Emily as Emily says, then she thinks this is a good idea too. She wouldn't have opened her door to Tim if he was like he was before. I say we leave the kids here and we go. Now."

"I'll stay with the kids," I said.

"I can't fucking believe you three," roared Liam, who'd been quiet for too long. "This asshole left Emily and the boys and didn't give one solid damn what the fuck happened to them. And you want us to go over there and play nice? Get the fuck outta here!"

Kim and Henry flinched and hugged each other when Liam started yelling. The sight truly saddened me.

"I agree," New Business said. "It's a bad fucking idea. Emily's got a lot of stress right now. Don't forget, the wedding's just a few weeks away. The boys are doing well now with Brett and his parents. Things are going good. Why let this asshole waltz back in and fuck it all up?"

"He didn't care about them then," Maggie said angrily. "So who cares what he wants now?"

Gianna and I exchanged glances and sighed.

"Okay, fine," I said. "Don't meet with him. Let him show up in Seattle. Let him see that your old house is empty. Let him start asking where Emily and the boys live now. Let him dictate the terms."

"Better yet, let him show up at the wedding," Gianna said as Emily sobbed even harder.

"If we go over there, we don't have to tell him anything about what's going on with Emily and the boys," Harry said. "But we get to find out what he wants. We get to see him and look him in the eye and see where his head's at."

"So he gets what he wants and we get to be upset," yelled Maggie.

"Maggie, with all due respect, in my years on the force, I saw a lot more of life... of people... than you have," said Harry. "I guarantee you his life's a mess right now. He's hardly winning here."

"I say we leave him be and don't go to Port Angeles at all," Emmett said.

Maggie nodded vigorously. "So what if he does come to Seattle," she said. "He can come to the house; we're not even there anymore. He doesn't know where we are. He'll never find us."

"Grammy, you said he'd never come back at all," said Henry, finally speaking. "But he did."

That silenced the angry McCartys, and Harry seized the opportunity to sway them.

"Like Gianna said, Tim's in no position to make demands," Harry stated. "For one thing, he has warrants. For another, he owes Emily back child support and more. He has a lot to lose. I've got to think he's trying to get his life together and wants to make amends."

Maggie, Liam, and Emmett rolled their eyes at Harry. It was clear what all the fighting had been about. The McCartys were solidly 'Team Fuck Tim,' while Harry and Gianna, and now me, were on 'Team Hear Him Out And Get Some Resolution.'

"Have you three asked what Emily wants?" I asked as we all turned to look into the living room.

"She's been too upset since she talked to Miss Allen," Emmett said.

"I know you've heard all of this, Emily," said Gianna. She'd walked into the living room and sat beside her sister-in-law.

Emily tried to speak but she was still too shaken up.

"What about you, Brett?" Gianna asked. "This affects you too."

"I want what Emily wants," he said quickly.

I rolled my eyes then, and wasn't about to let him get away with that.

"How about a real answer this time?" I yelled from my seat on the steps as Emmett smirked.

"I'll go along with what Emily wants, but I think Harry, Gianna, and Bella make good points," he said nervously as Emily gazed at him and wiped her face. "My mom's always worried that Tim would show up again someday, and this way, even if he was allowed visitation, at least we would know and could plan for it."

"Well, he's not getting fucking visitation," Liam shouted. "Fuck that. He..."

"You don't know that so don't say that," said Gianna, speaking over her surly husband.

"It's not fair to Henry or Austin to say he's never coming back or they'll never have to see him," I said. "I think it's better for them to understand that if they ever did have to see him, they won't be left alone with him, at least until we were sure of what Tim's thinking."

"Very good point, Bella," Harry said. "Like it or not, he's their father. He may ask to see them, and if he proves to a court that he's on the right track, you don't know what will happen."

"I don't wanna leave," Henry cried. "I don't want him to take me."

"Me too," said Austin, always in agreement with his big brother.

"We're not talking about him taking you away," I said softly as I reached down and stroked Henry's hair. "Even the nicest judge wouldn't let him do that. We're talking about you and Austin maybe spending a little time with him once or twice a month. That would be the worst that would happen."

"Somebody would always be with you," Harry said. "It's called supervised visitation."

"And we're not saying that will happen," Gianna said. "But it might and you should be prepared. Austin's a little young to understand, but you're..."

"I'm older," Henry said proudly. "I understand. I just don't want him to take me away. I like how we are now. I like our new house and I like Brett and Momma Mary and Poppa Waylon."

"What do you think we should do, Henry?" Emily asked. "You remember your dad. Austin doesn't. How do you feel about this?"

Austin looked up when he heard his name and I hugged him and kissed the top of his head. Poor little guy didn't know what the hell was going on. Henry instantly looked to his grandmother and uncles with a slightly fearful expression.

"No one will yell at you," I said to him. "Your opinion matters too."

He nodded and stood. He walked over and sat beside Emily on the couch.

"I feel like, the same as what everybody said," he replied. "Like Grammy, Uncle Liam and Uncle Em, I don't think it's fair he can come back and mess everything up when we just got it good."

I tried not to roll my eyes when Maggie, Liam, and Emmett nodded smugly. Too bad for them, Henry wasn't finished talking.

"But Uncle Harry's right and so is Aunt Gigi and Aunt Bella," he said. "I don't want him looking for us in Seattle, and I'm glad we know where he is now. I don't wanna see him but..."

"You don't have to," Emily said as she hugged him. "Not today, and not until we see how he is. I think I feel exactly like you do. I don't want to see him, but at least we know where he is. Bella, you really don't mind staying with the kids?"

"Not at all," I said as I clutched little Austin.

"I'll stay here too," said Gianna.

"Um, no, you need to go with them," Kim said suddenly as she shared a meaningful look with her mother. "You need to keep an eye on dad so he doesn't start fighting."

Gianna stared sadly at her daughter, and nodded reluctantly.

"I don't wanna go at all," Liam shouted. "I'll stay here with..."

"Liam, I'd like you there," Emily said. "I'd like for mom, Em, and Harry to go too."

They nodded as Emily turned to her fiancé.

"Brett, I'm so sorry you're dragged into this mess," Emily said as tears fell down her face again. "I'll leave it up to you whether you go or not."

"I'll go," he said with a sad smile. "It'll be easier to report to my parents that way."

We all laughed awkwardly and Emily called Miss Allen. While she did that, I turned to Maggie to ask where my dad was. All the parents spent the night at Charlie and Sue's new house and I wondered where the rest of them were.

My dad must have decided to come investigate for himself because he unlocked the door and entered, followed by Sue, before I could ask.

"Morning, newlyweds," I said as they smiled.

"Everything okay?" Charlie asked, looking directly at Maggie. "We just dropped Mary and Waylon, and the Cheneys, off at church."

"Mary was looking for you to go," Sue said. "She's been calling you. We figured you had to be here."

"Oh, I wanted to go and hear Reverend Weber," said Maggie with a frown as she threw up her hands in disgust. "I'll have to go another time. We can't go today. We need to get going."

She hurried off to talk to her sons who were throwing their clothes and personal items into overnight bags, muttering all the while, as they prepared to leave.

"Don't worry, I'll get you up to speed," Harry said to Charlie as they walked into the kitchen. Sue walked over and stood by the railing to talk to me.

"Long story short," I said, "Tim, Emily's ex, is back in Port Angeles."

Sue gasped and covered her mouth with her hand; she listened intently as I told her what I knew of the story.

"It sounds like Miss Allen didn't tell Emily until today because she didn't want to upset her until she absolutely had to," I said.

"Smart lady," Sue said as she watched the McCartys in the living room.

"I'm watching the kids," I said. "Everybody else is going."

"I'll stay here with you," she said. "I have a feeling Charlie will go with them to Port Angeles. If there's any reason to call the police, he knows some of the cops there."

"Damn right I'm going," said Charlie who just emerged from the kitchen with Harry.

"Please keep an eye on Liam," I whispered. "He's got a short fuse."

"Your boyfriend's got one too, you know," said Harry with a smirk.

"So does your girlfriend," I said as we cracked up laughing. I knew all too well that the McCartys could go from silent to shouting in mere seconds flat.

Emily took Austin from me and she and Brett kissed and hugged the boys then whispered to them. I grabbed New Business by the arm before he left.

"I know it'll make you mad to see Tim," I said, "but make sure you keep your cool. If you get thrown in jail, then I'm stuck with that mortgage payment all by myself and I'll be pissed off. Just remember that."

"Yes, Madam," he said, reluctantly laughing. "I'll be good. I promise."

I wasn't the only one with parting words for a member of the group. Kim had words for her father.

"Dad, you're doing good in counseling," she said cautiously. "Stay calm."

"If he..."

"You're supposed to help Aunt Emily," said Kim as if she was the parent. "If you start fighting, it'll be a big problem for everybody."

Liam sighed and grumbled, but reluctantly agreed with his daughter. "Fine," he said. "No fighting."

They finally pulled off, leaving me and Sue with the kids.

I looked down at Henry and he burst into tears. Sue and I quickly got the kids back inside and into the living room. Sue held Austin, while I pulled Henry to me on the couch. My heart broke listening to him cry. This was too much for such young kids to have to deal with.

"He's been worrying about his dad coming back for a long time," Kim said as she watched her cousin sadly. "He thinks his dad will take him away from Austin and Aunt Emily and he won't see us again. I told him that won't happen but now I don't know."

"We don't know what will happen," Sue said. "But I do know that the police and the courts will have to get involved. They might let Henry's dad see him..."

"And that's not even definite," I said, trying to console Henry who'd looked up at Sue as she spoke.

"Right," Sue said. "They might not let Henry's dad see him at all because of how he left. But even if they did, it would be a long, long time before he ever got to spend time with Henry alone."

"Is that really true?" Henry asked, looking up at me.

"It is," I said.

"And remember, your dad still doesn't know where you are," Sue said. "He doesn't know that you and your brother live at your new house now with your mom and Brett."

"He could find me at school," Henry said warily.

"But grandma picks you up from school," Kim said. "You think she'd let him just walk in and take you away?"

Henry shook his head and smiled a little and even I had to laugh. I'd never seen Tim, and I didn't know how big he was, but I knew without a doubt that Maggie would do whatever she had to do to keep these kids safe.

"Your dad has to prove a lot to even be allowed to see you at all," I said. "It's easy for me to say, but you can't spend your life worrying and making yourself upset over something that might not happen."

"I want for Brett for my dad," said Austin suddenly. Sue and I smiled.

"I feel bad for Brett," Kim said. "He's nice and he didn't know all this would happen."

"Brett_ is _my dad," said Henry fiercely. "He treats us good; he wouldn't leave us."

"You were all there at Christmas dinner," I said. "Emily told us everything. Brett knew that this could happen."

"And he's not going anywhere because he loves you," Sue said.

"I know it seems like a terrible thing that Tim is back," I said, looking down at Henry. "But I really do think it's best that we know where he is. Based on what your mom told us about him at Christmas, I think your dad loved you and your mom... a lot."

"But not Austin," he said, glancing over at his little brother. "He never liked Austin. It's not Austin's fault."

"How can you say he loved them?" Kim asked angrily. "If he loved them, he wouldn't have been mean to them and took all their money and left."

"Do you think that your dad loves you?" I asked.

"Yes," Kim replied. "He loves me more than anybody."

"Well, the first day I met all of you, I wasn't so sure about that," I said calmly.

Kim and Henry both looked at me like I'd slapped them, but I continued.

"When I went over to your grandmother's for dinner that first night," I said to Kim, "your dad was screaming and cursing at you at the top of his lungs. I couldn't believe that a grown man would speak to a child that way. I didn't like your dad very much at first, and I didn't think he loved you."

"He just got real mad sometimes when he lost his job and when my mom lost her job," Kim said, though her tone had changed considerably: it had gone from angry to sad. "He's not like that much anymore. He's better now. He always loved me. He's not like Tim."

"But what if something like that happened to Tim?" I asked as Kim and Henry shared a long glance. "What if he was going through a bad time and got mixed up with a bad crowd? What if he started doing bad things that kept him from thinking clearly, and made him act like a different person?"

"Like taking drugs," Henry said.

"Yes," I replied. "I think he may have been taking drugs. Now that's just my opinion, but that's what it sounded like to me."

"We had a thing at school about drugs," Henry said.

"We did too," Kim said.

"We had to sit in the auditorium, and these people did a play and then a policeman and our school nurse talked," Henry said. "They said drugs make you not act like yourself."

"They do," I said. "That's why you should never take them. They can make you really sick too."

"Did you take drugs?" he asked.

"No, I never did," I said.

He smiled a little and nodded, as if I'd passed some sort of test.

"What about you Aunt Sue?" Kim asked.

"When I was young," Sue said carefully, "around the age Tim was actually, I tried a few things that I knew were probably bad for me. I was going through a very bad time."

Kim and Henry's mouths fell open as they stared at her.

"I had a baby and he died when he was only three weeks old. I felt like I wanted to die too," she said. "I wanted to make the pain go away."

I gasped and probably looked as startled as Kim and Henry. Charlie told me that Sue didn't have kids, so I never pressed the issue, but I didn't know this. I felt horrible for her.

"Sue, I'm so sorry," I said as I reached over and held her hand.

She nodded as tears fell down her face.

"That was a bad, bad time for me," she said as Kim rushed over and hugged her. "I'm not saying that if Tim was on drugs it excuses him leaving you. Parents should never leave. But sometimes, when people are hurting, they don't think right. They just want to stop hurting."

"I think Emily said that Tim's aunt had died and that's why you moved to Port Angeles," I said to Henry. "Maybe that's when things started going bad for him, when his aunt died. Maybe it wasn't because of Austin at all."

Kim and Henry shared another long look, while Austin watched for his big brother's reaction.

"All I'm saying is, I think he did care about you and your mom at one point," I said. "He knows that everybody hates him for leaving, but he still reached out to Emily's friend. I think he wants to try to make things right, even if it means trouble for him."

"I didn't think about all this stuff," Henry said quietly.

"You shouldn't have to think about these things," Sue said as she hugged him.

"If, later on, some judge decides that you have to see your dad, I just don't want you to think it's the end of the world," I said to Henry. "Because I think he loves you and I don't think he ever wanted to hurt you on purpose."

He nodded a little and looked very deep in thought. I turned to Kim next so she didn't think I hated her father either.

"I feel the same way about your dad," I said to her. "I hated how he talked to you, but I gave him a chance because your Uncle Em said he was just going through a bad time."

"He was," Kim said as she started crying. "He yells and stuff, but he's not bad. He's not."

"I know that now," I said. "But you can't tell me it felt good when he used to yell at you like that."

Kim bit her lip and turned her head before she responded.

"He's better now," she said, still not looking up at me. "He's getting lots of help and he's working again and my mom's working again, so it's better now."

"I know," I said as she wiped away her tears. "But it was bad for a while, wasn't it?"

Again, she didn't respond. Sue leaned over and hugged her too.

"Things can get better if you admit that you made a mistake and you're serious about getting help," Sue said. "People mess up, especially when they're in a situation they can't handle. It doesn't always mean they're bad people."

"You think maybe my dad got counseling and he's better now?" Henry asked, looking between me and Sue.

"I think he may have gotten help for whatever was going on with him, and that he's_ trying _to be a better person now," I said.

"Me too," Sue replied. "But if a person has been on drugs, it takes a little more than therapy and counseling to help them. Sometimes they need medicine too. That's why Bella and I said it'll be a long time before you see your dad, if at all. If he's been on drugs, they have to be sure that it's safe for you to be around him."

We all sat quietly for a few moments, deep in our own thoughts. Finally, little Austin tired of the drama he didn't understand and put things back into perspective for us.

"I want pancakes," he said as Sue and I smiled.

"Then we need to go to the other house," she said. "Let's get ready."

Sue stood to take Austin to the bathroom before we left and Henry went to find his shoes.

"I guess I should put on some clothes. And definitely brush my teeth," I said to Kim with a chuckle.

However, she didn't smile at all. Instead, her lip started to quiver and tears fell down her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I scooted closer to her on the couch and hugged her.

"I hate when... my dad... yells at me," she whispered, crying between hiccups. "I hate when he yells at my mom."

I sighed and held her more tightly. This was confirmation that I really didn't want. I'd known in my heart of hearts that Liam's anger issues were a lot more serious than the family let on. It always annoyed me that the family always blew off Liam's temper like it was no big deal.

"Sometimes, me and mom would lock ourselves in the basement because he was scary, and he'd keep yelling at us and banging on the door," Kim said, shaking as I held her. "It was bad. Really, really, really bad."

"Did he ever hit you, or your mom?" I asked quietly, although my blood was boiling.

"No," she said, "but he would punch the walls and doors when he got really mad. My mom started putting up lots of pictures on the walls, to cover up the holes. They're fixed now."

"Did you ever talk to anyone about this?" I asked. "Did you ever tell Emmett or Maggie?"

"No, we just never said," she replied as she wiped her face. "I didn't tell anybody; I didn't want him to get mad. Please don't say anything. He's doing good now mostly and I don't want him to be mad again."

"I'm glad that you told me this," I said. "But I think you should talk about this more, with somebody who can really help. I want you to go see that therapist your mom and dad are seeing. Your mom told me you didn't want to go."

"No," she cried, shaking her head wildly as she bawled. "He's better now. I don't want him to be mad again."

She collapsed against me crying even harder as Sue, Austin, and Henry stood in the entryway with wide eyes. Henry looked particularly shaken; Kim was almost like a little mother to him in some ways, and she always came off so strong and tough.

"Sue, I think you should take the boys without us," I said. "I don't have Austin's car seat, but..."

"It's not far," she said. "I'll put him in the back in a seatbelt and be extra careful."

She hurried the boys out of the door and Henry cast one last glance at Kim.

"You didn't do anything wrong," I whispered to her as I held her and stroked her hair. "It's not fair for you to keep all of this bottled up inside."

"I'm glad you're in the family," she said. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said. "I want you to be happy. That's all."

"I'll talk to the lady," Kim said, looking up at me with her sad, beautiful, watery eyes. "I promise."

* * *

I didn't exactly want to leave Kim alone, but I had to get ready for the day. I took a quick shower, and then dressed. Kim helped me straighten up the house, which actually took a while, but I wanted to leave it as nice as we'd found it. Kim talked the whole time.

"This is the house you and your dad used to live in?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. "He has the new house now with Sue, and he's selling this one."

"Did you like living here or did you like living in Phoenix with Miss Renée?" she asked.

"Here," I said. "I never felt like I fit in there. It's so bright and sunny and hot. Here it's dreary and rainy and quiet. I always loved it."

"It's too quiet," she said. "I'm used to it being loud."

"I bet you are," I said as she smiled.

We'd just set our overnight bags by the door when Emmett called.

"We're on our way back," he said, sounding incredibly drained.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

"He couldn't live with the guilt anymore, he misses Henry, he's trying to get his life back on track, blah, blah, blah" Emmett said disgustedly. "Says he always loved Emily and Henry. He still won't say shit about Austin, like Austin doesn't even exist."

"Where's he been all this time? Did he say?" I asked.

"He says he was in Portland for a while with a friend," he replied. "I don't know if he was using when he was with Emily, but he says he got hooked on meth."

"Oh my god," I said. "That's bad."

"He still looks all kinds of fucked up to me, and he says he's been clean for a year now," Emmett said. "No way in hell is he going anywhere with the boys by himself anytime soon. He's engaged to this woman now; she was there too."

"How's Emily?" I asked. "How's Maggie?"

"Upset," he said. "Ma ripped him a new asshole. Emily didn't say all that much."

"How's Emily's friend, Miss Allen?" I asked.

"Feisty. She has two other ladies living there with her now," he said with a chuckle. "It's like the Golden Girls. They're a riot."

"So what now?" I asked. "Is he getting arrested?"

"He got a lawyer, and he turned himself in not long ago," he said. "He's out, but he has probation and there's gonna be a court date and it's all a big fucking mess."

"You have to leave tomorrow," I said. "You really don't need this right now."

"Tell me about it," he said bitterly. "I called the lawyer and she's gonna meet with Ma, Emily, and Harry tomorrow. She said it was good that Charlie and Harry were there. I was glad they went. They asked a ton of good questions."

"But what's Tim doing now?" I asked. "Is he just sitting around talking to everybody?"

"No, he's gone," Emmett said. "I think he wanted to see Emily, but he_ really_ wanted to see Henry. He looked really disappointed when we told him we didn't bring the kids."

"Too bad," I muttered. "Does he seem contrite?"

Emmett sighed. "Honestly, yes," he said. "But that doesn't mean shit to us right now. We got all his information, that's the important thing."

"Do you see what I mean now?" I asked. "I know it was hard but don't you feel better knowing where he is?"

"I do," he said tiredly. "I do. We're almost back so I'll talk to you soon."

"Go to the new house," I said. "We're on our way over there now."

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You don't sound like yourself."

"Crazy day, right?" I remarked even though I couldn't even muster an attempt at a laugh.

"I know something's wrong," he said, not fooled in the least. "We'll be there soon."

"They're on the way back," I said to Kim who nodded sadly.

"I don't know if you had a chance to eat breakfast," I said, "but how do you feel about a really good ice cream cone?"

"That sounds good," she said, finally smiling.

We drove the short distance to the little shop. Word had spread about Charlie's wedding, so I had to endure more conversations than normal before we could even order. When we received our cones - - strawberry for me and chocolate chip for Kim - - we sat in the car and ate them in easy silence.

"This is so good," Kim said.

"Angie and I used to come here all the time when I used to visit," I said. "Any spare change that we had, we'd scrounge together and come get a cone."

"I have a good friend like you have Angie," she said. "My friend Dana."

"I don't think we'd make it in life without our friends," I said. "We can't pick our families, but we can pick our friends. They make it easy because they listen."

"Yeah," she said. "Dana has two sisters, and then her mom got married again and her stepdad has two kids, and Dana's the oldest out of everybody and when the other kids come over, she has to babysit all the time and can't ever go out and do anything."

"That sucks," I said as I licked my cone.

"Yeah," she said. "We talk about our family stuff so I know it's good to have a friend."

My phone rang again. It was Emmett; Kim watched me as I talked.

"Yes, New Business?" I said as Kim chuckled.

"Um, where are you?" he asked. "We're back, and Henry said Kim was crying and Sue's not really saying much. We know some shit went down while we were gone and everybody's upset all over again. What's wrong?"

"Kim and I just stopped for ice cream," I said. "She's fine now. We'll be back in a few minutes."

"Fine _now_?" he repeated. "Tell me..."

"We're on our way back right now," I said with a sigh. "We'll see you in a few."

I ended the call before he could reply.

"Henry told them you were crying," I said. "I'm gonna have to say something."

She nodded. "It's okay," she said. "I feel better."

"Just let me do the talking," I said. "None of this is your fault, so don't feel like you're in trouble or anything."

She nodded then. As I pulled off, I could feel her looking at me.

"Why did you just call Uncle Em 'New Business'?" she asked.

"That's my little private nickname for him," I said. "He was the New Business Director, and when I first started working at ATS, I always thought of him as the New Business Guy, so I just started calling him New Business. It's silly but it's our little thing."

"Does he have a name for you?" she asked with a grin.

"No, not at all," I said, much too quickly.

"That's a lie," Kim said as we both laughed.

"What your uncle calls me is between us, so let's just leave it at that," I said with a laugh.

"Okay," she said. "But he'll slip up and say it one day, just like you did, then I'll find out."

"You should talk to my dad and Harry. You're so nosey. You'd make a great cop," I said as she laughed.

* * *

"Oh no. They're mad," Kim said warily, biting her fingernails, as we pulled up in front of the new house.

Emmett and Emily, Liam and Gianna, and Maggie and Harry were all out front, clearly arguing about something. I didn't know where everyone else was, but I was sure they were within earshot. As soon as I parked the car, all talking in the group ceased and Gianna and Liam raced over.

"Kim, what's wrong?" asked Gianna, as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug the moment she stepped out of the car.

"I'm fine, Mom, I just..."

She couldn't even finish before Liam started yelling. So much for therapy.

"Somebody tell me what the fuck is..."

That's when I snapped.

"Don't you curse at us," I shouted as I moved to stand right in front of him. "That's why you're daughter's afraid to talk as it is."

Liam seemed stunned at my tone and wisely took a step back. I'd never spoken to him like that before but I was furious on Kim's behalf. He exchanged a nervous glance with Gianna who was already crying buckets as she clung to Kim.

"Bella, what's going on?" Emmett asked. "Kim's a tough kid. She..."

"She never cries," Maggie said, finishing his sentence. "Something must have happened. Tell us, please."

"When you left for Port Angeles, Henry was upset," I said. "He was afraid that Tim would come and take him away."

Emily wrapped her arms around herself and Harry gave her a hug.

"Sue and I were talking to the kids to try to calm them down," I said. "I tried to explain that I believe that Tim loved him and that I felt he may have been going through a bad time when he left them."

I looked over at Kim who nodded at me from Gianna's arms, so I continued.

"To make a comparison, I told the kids about my feelings toward Liam when I first met him," I said.

Liam glared at me, and New Business's face hardened. I quickly looked away from them and spoke directly to Maggie.

"I told the kids that I didn't like Liam at all when I first met him. Because that first night, he was screaming and cursing at Kim. I couldn't believe he was talking to her like that."

"He was just upset," Maggie said, instantly defending her son. "He didn't mean it."

"I never liked how Liam talked to Kim or Henry," Harry said angrily. "They're kids. You all act like his temper isn't a problem, but I never liked it. I should have said something. I'm sorry, Kim."

Kim seemed very surprised to have another supporter; her eyes widened in shock at Harry's apology. She tried to smile at Harry but she burst into tears again.

"Anyway, when I made the comment about not liking Liam, Kim jumped right to his defense," I said. "She said he didn't mean it and he just got mad sometimes. I told her that that might be true, but I bet she didn't like it when he yelled and screamed at her. She said he's better now that he's gotten counseling."

"He is," Kim said through her tears. "He is better now. I don't want him mad again."

At this, Liam leaned his arms on the top of his car, placed his head on them, and let out a horrible sob. The sound was truly like a wounded animal. Emmett turned and glared at his brother and even Emily and Maggie looked like they were finally catching on. They looked at Liam sadly. Gianna was gripping Kim so tightly that it looked painful, but Kim was holding on to her just as hard.

"I left it at that, but when Sue and the boys left the room, Kim opened up," I said. "She told me that I was right. Liam's temper does scare her. She said that sometimes she and Gianna would hide from him because he was so out of control. She said that sometimes he'd bang on the doors and punch holes in the walls."

"No," Maggie said as she shook her head. "No, he just gets a little upset that's all."

"I'm sorry, Kimmie," Liam said, raising his head, as tears fell from his eyes and his voice shook. "I never wanted you to be afraid of me."

Gianna clung impossibly tighter to Kim and absolutely broke down in gasping sobs. Maggie was still waiting for someone to deny what I'd relayed from Kim. Emmett was pacing, raking his hands through his hair in a clear attempt to calm down. Finally, he stopped in front of Kim and stooped down in front of her.

"Kimmie, it's me, Uncle Em," he said as he looked up at her. "I want you to tell me the truth. Did your dad ever hit you? Did he hit your mom?"

"I never touched them," Liam roared, causing all of us to jump. My heart was seriously racing in my chest.

"He wasn't asking you," Harry said menacingly. "He asked Kim."

"He never hit me," Kim said as she cried. "He used to scare me so bad because when he used to get mad, he had a bad look in his face. I used to be scared for me and my mom."

All eyes turned to Gianna next who was positively shivering. "He never touched me," she said, her eyes pleading with Emmett to believe her. "I've never been hit in my life. But Kim's right. He was pretty scary for a while when we lost our jobs."

"Oh, stop denying it," Emily said angrily to Maggie who was still shaking her head and mumbling 'no' over and over. "That's what happens when you pretend like things are perfect when they're not. Look at your granddaughter!"

Maggie leaned against one of the cars too, crying and shaking her head. Emmett kept walking toward his brother, then stopping himself. He seriously looked like he wanted to beat the shit out of Liam. I walked over to Liam and very carefully touched his arm. He recoiled from me but I moved with him.

"Liam, I know you're not a bad guy," I said. "I think it's great that you're getting help now. I really do. Like I told the kids, I'm glad I didn't judge you based on that first night I met you. But I also told Kim, none of this is her fault."

"It's not," he said, finally looking over at me. All I saw was pain in his face. "I'm sorry. I love Kimmie. I love Gi. I do. You have to believe me. I'm getting better. I'm trying... so hard. I am. When I get upset, I can't control it sometimes. I don't know what to do."

Maggie screamed and sobbed even harder; Harry walked over and whispered something to her as Emily walked over and hugged Gianna and Kim.

Now, I totally understood why Kim had been adamant that Gianna go to Port Angeles this morning: she didn't want her father to snap and start punching holes in the walls at Miss Allen's house. There would be no covering that up.

"What you can do for starters is tell this to the therapist," I said to Liam as I rubbed his arm. "Something tells me you don't tell her this really bad dark stuff. With your father's... history, this might not be something you _can_ control. You _have_ to tell the therapist."

He stared at me and nodded a little, then rested his head back on his arms.

I walked over to Kim and Gianna who both watched me with sad eyes filled with pain.

"Gianna, I know you've been through a lot too," I said. "This is all the family you have really. Maybe I'm out of line here, but I think you need to take those counseling sessions a little more seriously. Like I said to Liam, something tells me none of this stuff has come up yet. Because nobody wanted it to."

Gianna nodded, too choked up to speak.

"Kim's agreed to go to the counselor too, right Kim?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied as she looked between her parents.

"I'm sorry," Gianna said, finally able to speak. "I tried to pretend we were all okay because I didn't know what to do. It's not like that anymore. Liam's so much better now. I swear."

"I'm sure he is," I said. "But what happens if you both lose your jobs again? Kim's only just thirteen. She shouldn't have to be afraid of her dad yelling and punching walls again. She shouldn't have to live like that. Nobody should."

Just then, Sue walked out of the house with a box of tissues which she passed around.

"This is not about blame," Sue said as she looked around at the very distraught McCartys. "This is about healing. I'm so proud of you all for going to talk to Tim and I'm proud of Kim for talking about how she felt. That was very brave."

Kim let go of Gianna and hugged Sue, then ran over and hugged Liam who clung to her tightly and continued to apologize.

"We've got food inside, Kim," said Sue as she held out her hand. "I didn't see you have any breakfast."

Kim let go of her father, took Sue's hand, and walked inside. Emmett unlocked the back hatch of his car and threw some bags onto the ground, then he opened the side door, pulled out Austin's car seat and set it on the ground too. Finally, looking about ready to explode, he turned to his family.

"I'm going home," he said in a deadly tone. "I have HAD IT with everybody's fucking secrets and dramas. This was supposed to be a nice trip to see Bella's folks' new place. But as usual, all our bullshit had to fuck everything up. I'm done. I'M GODDAMN FUCKING DONE."

For the second time today, I jumped in my skin because of yelling. I'd _never _seen Emmett so angry. He looked around at Maggie, Liam, Emily, and Gianna who were all trembling and crying.

"I didn't wanna go see Emily's friend; I knew in my gut that was a bad idea," he said as Emily hung her head. "But Emily cries and I feel bad and Emily gets what she wants. That's how it always happens. Now we gotta deal with all this Tim bullshit."

Next he turned to Maggie. "Then, my own mother, the one I talk to every single day, decides to tell Emily's friend that she has to have exploratory surgery. I mean, why would I need to know? No big deal," he said sarcastically before he started mimicking Maggie's voice.

"I'll talk to Emmett about what I'm cooking for dinner," he said as Maggie watched him sadly. "But I won't tell him that I have to go to the hospital for goddamn surgery. That's not fucking important at all."

He turned to Liam and Gianna next who wouldn't even look at him.

"Everybody's been on my ass to go to counseling," he yelled. "We'll be one big happy family, if only Emmett would go to counseling. But just like I always knew, counseling only means shit if you tell the truth. And guess what family never does that? You're punching fucking holes in walls, scaring the shit out of your own wife and daughter, but let's only tell the therapist the good stuff. Wouldn't want anybody to look bad."

Finally, Emmett turned to me. I hated seeing him like this with a wild, feral look in his eye. I wasn't afraid of him; I truly hurt for him.

"I am _so_ sorry that you have to put up with this constant fucking mess," he said as tears poured down his cheeks. "I love you so fucking much it hurts. I'm sorry. You don't deserve this. I don't know why you put up with it."

I flung my arms around him and held on for dear life.

"Because I love you," I said. "Don't leave like this."

"I have to," he said. "I'm tired of this. I'm so fucking tired."

He let me go, then hopped into the driver's seat of his car, and started it up. In seconds, he sped off without a backward glance.

We all stood staring after him in stunned silence. I didn't know what to say; no one did. So I asked about something Emmett had said.

"Maggie, what's this about you having surgery?" I asked.

"Dr. Snow wants to check something. It's a minor procedure," she said as she sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I only mentioned it because Harriet said she'd just had the same thing done."

"Harriet?" I asked.

"My friend, Miss Allen, doesn't live alone anymore," Emily said as she too wiped her eyes. "Two other women live with her now. Harriet is one of them."

"Why didn't you mention the surgery to Emmett?" I asked Maggie quietly.

"I didn't want to bother him," she said as fresh tears ran down her face.

"Maggie, you're his mom. He wants to know what's going on with you," I said with a sigh as she sobbed harder. I rubbed her back then moved over to Liam and Gianna.

"I want you two to understand that I love you both," I said as they wiped their faces with the tissues. "But I really hope you'll talk to that therapist about what happened during the time when you lost your jobs. You need to work through that because it could happen again."

Finally, I turned to Emily. "I know dealing with the lawyer will be hard for you with the wedding so close," I said. "I'll call my mom tonight and ask if she can come back next week to help with the last preparations."

"Thank you," Emily said as she hugged me. "I'm sorry for all of this. I'm so sorry."

"Emmett's just upset right now," I said. "You know he's not done with the family, but I think he needs a little space."

"We'll deal with the lawyer," Harry said. "I know Emmett's going out of town for work tomorrow. Tell him I'll be there at all the meetings about Tim."

"Thank you, Harry," I said as I hugged him too.

I couldn't stand all the sad faces so I slowly walked inside with what felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders. My concerns were not for Liam and Gianna, Emily or Maggie. In this moment, I was worried sick about Emmett, who'd finally cracked under the pressure of his family. I just hoped he'd make it home safely.

The scene inside was as somber as the one outside. Brett and his parents smiled sadly at me when I walked inside. The windows were wide open, so I knew they'd heard most of what had been said outside. Sue had Kim and the boys in the kitchen eating sandwiches, or trying to anyway. Even Charlie wore a grim expression.

"At least you don't have neighbors right nearby," I said with a pitiful attempt at a laugh. "They'd have had quite a show."

Charlie pulled me into a hug and I instantly felt a sense of comfort and relief; the smell of his soap and everything about him was so comfortable and familiar to me. I couldn't imagine ever hiding in fear from him like Kim had to do with Liam. Sure Charlie had raised his voice at me when I was being a brat, but I never had reason to fear him.

"I said it at Christmas and I'll say it again," he whispered as he held me. "Leave it to you to get mixed up with a crazy family like this."

I did laugh then as I looked up into my dad's handsome face.

"This is all your fault," I said. "You had to have your housewarming-wedding and invite everybody. If you weren't showing off, none of this would've happened."

"You're right," he said as he grinned before turning more serious. "I'm gonna come down to your place this week. I wanna talk to Emmett. I'm sure he's got a lot on his mind. I wanna talk to him."

"He leaves tomorrow, but he'll be back Wednesday," I said.

"I'll probably come Wednesday night then," he said. "I need to check the schedule."

"Your room is waiting for you," I said with an attempt at a smile. "I guess we better get going. This is going to be a long ride home. Can you go out and get Harry? We need to figure out who's riding together, and I don't feel like getting drawn into all the crying out there again."

"You think I want to?" he asked as I laughed.

"Sorry, Chief Swan, you deal with domestic issues for a living," I said.

"Don't remind me," he said as he went outside.

I walked over to Brett and his parents.

"Don't be too hard on Emmett when you get home," Brett said. "I think the family puts too much pressure on him. They rely on him for everything. I've noticed that."

"You're preaching to the choir," I said as they laughed. "I'm not upset with him at all. Did you guys have anything else in his car?"

"Our bags are all here," said Mary.

"My bag was at the other house," Brett said.

"I have it then," I said. "Kim and I cleaned up before we left and got all the bags."

"They'll get through this," Waylon said. "It all seems bad, but there are worse issues in other families. I told you that we keep to ourselves because of all the drama from some of my siblings and Mary's."

"I'm glad you haven't run off," I said as they smiled. "Emily and the boys love you so much already. And I'm happy to have more allies."

Brett and his parents laughed quite loudly, but we all quieted down when Harry walked inside. He looked furious.

"Do you need a nice calming walk along the riverbank before we leave?" I asked with a smirk.

His demeanor changed instantly and he let out a booming laugh.

"I just might take one," he said. "I didn't retire to live in this... this... chaos. I agree with Emmett completely. What the hell have they been talking about in counseling all these months? They've been bragging about how well they're doing and still, here we are."

"I know," I said. "I know the stuff with Tim was a surprise for everybody, but with the luck this family has, he'd have shown up in Seattle and caused some real problems. I still think going to see him was for the best."

"It was," Harry said.

"I almost felt sorry for the guy," Brett said as he shook his head.

"I do feel sorry for him," Harry said. "He's a mess. This is one case where I think the children were truly better off that he left. I hope his girlfriend really understands what she's in for."

"Do you really think he's off the drugs?" I asked.

"I do," Harry said. "I saw addicts at all stages when I was a cop. If he was still using, you could tell. But even in recovery, he's got a long road ahead of him."

"I'm so glad we know where he is," Mary said, mirroring her son's words from earlier. "This we can deal with. The not knowing was worse."

"I agree," I said. "I don't mean to rush everyone, but I really want to get home to Emmett. I'm worried about him."

"I'm ready if you all are," Harry said. Brett and his parents agreed as well.

"I can only fit four other people," I said.

"I can fit the rest in my van," Harry said. "Bella, if you can take Brett and his parents that would be..."

"Bless you," I said as we all cracked up laughing. "I was_ not _in the mood for nearly four hours of crying."

"They can cry all they want," Harry said angrily. "But for once, they're gonna listen to what I have to say. Since the first time I met Liam, I told Maggie he needed help with his temper. He really might need medication. But they..."

"Maybe I should take Austin then," I said, interrupting him before he got on a rant. "Henry and Kim need to hear you talk some sense into the others, but Austin might get upset."

"I agree," Mary said. "He's so little and impressionable. He's already seen and heard more than he ever should have."

Surprisingly, it didn't take long to say all the goodbyes. The McCartys were still too distraught to do much talking. First, we got the kids situated.

"Austin, you get to ride in the fun car," I said with a bright smile. He readily took my hand and let Brett strap him in to his car seat. He clearly wanted no part of all the drama from his family.

Next, I talked to Kim and Henry. Charlie, Sue, and Harry joined me.

"I know we said this before, but I want you both to understand that nothing that happened today is your fault," I said as both kids nodded and hugged me.

"I gave you my phone number so if you ever need to talk and don't know who to turn to, you can always call me," Sue said as they hugged her too.

"Next time you come up, I'll take you fishing," Charlie said.

"I don't know about that," Kim said with a smile. "I don't like worms."

"I wanna do it," Henry said with a big grin. "I can't wait."

As the kids climbed into the van, I turned to the pitiful-looking McCartys: Maggie, Liam, Gianna, and Emily. All four had splotchy faces from crying so much and they looked tired, weary, hurt, and ashamed.

"I don't want you to hate me," said Gianna sadly.

"I don't hate you," I said.

"You do. I can see it in your face," she said as she started crying again.

I rolled my eyes, truly not caring if she saw or not.

"I'm not doing this with you, Gianna," I said. "I don't hate you, so don't make this about me. Do you have your phone with you?"

She nodded. "Why?" she asked.

"Because I'm calling Lizzie right now to tell her you won't be going to work tomorrow," I said. "I'll tell Logan in the morning."

"I have to go," she said as her eyes widened. "We have..."

"You're a little upset right now, so you can't exactly see yourself," I said. "But there's no way you'd be functional if you came to work tomorrow. You have personal leave. We'll manage."

More tears fell as she pulled up Lizzie's number and handed me her phone. Lizzie answered right away.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked.

"Hi, Lizzie, this is actually Bella," I said.

"Uh oh, something's wrong," she said. "What happened?"

"I just wanted to tell you that Gianna won't be in tomorrow, so she won't be meeting you to ride in in the morning," I said as Gianna sobbed loudly.

"Thanks for letting me know," Lizzie said. "Is that her crying?"

"Yes," I said.

"Just answer me one question," Lizzie said. "Does this have anything to do with her husband?"

"Yes," I replied as Lizzie sighed.

"I know he's Emmett's brother," she said. "But I'm sorry, Bella, Liam's an ass."

"Yes, I believe so," I replied as I tried not to laugh.

Lizzie chuckled. "Thanks for calling, and I'll stop by your office in the morning. Sounds like you can't really talk."

"That sounds great," I said. "Thanks, Lizzie."

I returned the phone to Gianna then turned to Liam.

"Before you start, I don't hate you either," I said. "Let's call your boss next."

"I have to..." Liam began until my dad interrupted him.

"You're not going to work either," Charlie said bluntly. "You have to be focused at your job. There's a lot of people and equipment riding on you. If you go to work tomorrow, you'll be no good to anyone."

"Tomorrow, you need to call that therapist and beg her to see you, Gianna, and Kim immediately," Harry said. "You need help, and personally, I think you need to be medicated. I'll call her myself if you won't do it. Give Bella your phone, or call your boss yourself. You won't be going to work tomorrow."

Liam pulled up the number and handed me the phone. He looked so despondent that it was truly painful. It rang so long that I thought I'd have to leave a message. Finally, a gruff voice sounded through the phone.

"Collins here," he said.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan, Liam McCarty's sister-in-law," I said to keep things simple. "I'm calling to tell you that he won't be in to work tomorrow."

"He sick?" he asked.

"Not exactly," I replied. "I'm with him and the family now. We've had some serious news about his mother. We just found out that she needs surgery and the family's not doing well right now at all."

"Damn," he said. "I lost my mom last year. Tell him to hang in there."

"I will," I replied. "He should be in on Tuesday, but if not, I'll let you know."

"Good deal," he said as he ended the call.

"I didn't lie," I said to Sue, Charlie, and Harry who were smirking at me.

"You were a little too smooth," Sue said as we laughed. Even the McCartys cracked a few smiles.

"Hey, every day at work, the chiefs play fast and loose with the truth," I said. "Maybe I picked up a few tricks. Emily, do you need me to call the daycare?"

"No, I'll tell them when we drop Austin off in the morning," she said. "But thank you for offering."

"When you get home, please tell Em that I'm sorry," Maggie said with a shaky voice. "I won't be able to _live_ if he stops talking to me."

Again, I almost rolled my eyes. They were all so fucking dramatic. Thank god Harry saved me from riding with them.

"He just needs a little time," I replied. "Give him some space for a few days. If anything's wrong, I'll call you."

Finally, everyone piled into Harry's van and I got into the driver's seat of my car.

"Goodbye, dad. Goodbye, Mrs. Swan," I called out to Charlie and Sue who fell out laughing as they waved to us when we pulled off.

"You have a great relationship with your parents," Waylon said. "It's very nice to see."

"Thank you. I've trained them well," I said as they laughed.

We hadn't been on the road long at all when Angie called. I couldn't stop smiling at Austin's reaction to hearing the phone ring in the car.

"The phone's ring in the radio," he said as he giggled and laughed.

"I've been calling and calling you," Angie said.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you back," I said. "You wouldn't believe how much drama the McCartys packed into one day."

"This should be good," Ben said.

"Hi, Ben," I said. "Are you guys on your way back?"

"Yeah," Angie said. "We just left your dad's. He told us about Tim and about Emmett leaving. Have you talked to him?"

"No, I'm not going to," I said. "He needs to be alone to think right now. Today was too much. Are the Cheneys there? Did they enjoy slumming it with us in Forks?"

"Bella, you stop that," Tara, Ben's mom, said as everyone laughed.

"We had a wonderful time," said his dad. "We don't often have the opportunity to step away from our lives. This was a nice getaway. Charlie and Sue were very hospitable."

"Are Mary and Waylon with you?" Angie asked. "I wanted to ask how they liked my dad's church."

"We're here," said Mary. "The church is so quaint; I liked it. I've never seen a church like it."

"Your father gave a wonderful service," said Waylon.

"How did you like Mrs. Weber?" I asked innocently as everyone in both cars laughed and laughed.

"Well, she's... dynamic," said Mary as I guffawed.

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever called my mom," said Angie as we laughed even harder.

"I know some meddlesome people," Ben's mom said. "But she has the worst of them beat by a mile."

"Now that I've met her mother, I really don't know how Angie grew into the sweet, well-mannered young woman that she is," said Ben's dad.

"Do you know Angie?" I asked as everyone laughed again. "Maybe you should spend a little more time with her."

"I keep telling you to quit badmouthing me until after Ben gets me down the aisle," Angie said to more laughter.

We talked to Angie, Ben, and the Cheneys for about another half hour. Thankfully, traffic wasn't too bad for the most part, but we stopped when Waylon had to go to the bathroom. We ended up having a quick bite to eat as well, and then we got back on the road. At about 7:30, I pulled into Mary and Waylon's driveway.

"Austin and I will hang out here for a while," Brett said.

"I love you," Austin said as he hugged me goodbye then blew a raspberry on my cheek, which was his new favorite thing to do.

"I love you too," I said as I returned the favor.

"Despite the drama, we had a great time," Waylon said as he led Austin into the house.

"Are you going with them to the lawyer tomorrow?" I asked Brett.

"No, I have to work," he said.

"I'm going on his behalf," Mary said. "We have some questions about whether Brett will be able to adopt the boys now that the father's back in the picture."

"Make sure you don't let Maggie derail you in anything you want to ask," I said. "She means well, she does. But her first reaction is _always_ to be defensive. Stick to your guns."

"I will," Mary said before she surprisingly hugged me. "You take care of yourself. We all worry about you."

"Thank you, I will," I replied.

"Thanks for everything," Brett said. "If you hadn't been there, I don't think Harry and Gianna would've convinced the others to go meet with Tim, and that needed to happen, no matter how close we are to the wedding."

"You're very welcome," I said. "One of these days we're going to have a drama-free family event."

Brett laughed and waved as he watched me pull off. His mention of the wedding reminded me of my promise to Emily: I needed to call Renée. I called her right away so that I could talk on the way home.

"You have just made my night and you don't even know it," she said giddily when I asked if she could come and stay next week for the lead-up to Emily's wedding.

"Phil, Bella wants me to come back," she yelled.

"Thank god," he yelled in reply as I cackled.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Phil's leaving for Kansas Wednesday," she said. "Larry called this morning. He's been having problems with the farm all year, but he finally broke down and asked for Phil's help. There's some big evaluation they have to be ready for and he'll be gone for at least a few weeks, probably more."

"I bet you've been complaining all day," I said with a chuckle. "You'd have been home all by your lonesome while Phil does his part for the family business."

"I would have," she said. "I'm not staying on that farm for any extended period of time, especially not with Larry's dipshit wife and all those kids. I'll visit him one weekend, but that's it."

"If that's the case, then you can come this week if you want and stay until the wedding," I said.

"You're sure?" she asked, unable to hide her excitement.

"I'm positive," I said. "Emmett has trips this week and next, and with all the latest crap, you'd be doing everybody a big favor taking charge of the final preparations for Emily."

"What latest crap?" she asked.

"Oh, where to begin?" I said. "Emily's ex, Tim, is back in Port Angeles..."

"No way," she shouted.

"There's more," I said. "Maggie has to have exploratory surgery for I don't know what."

"That's not surprising," Renée said. "She needs to take better care of herself."

"There's more," I said as she laughed. "Kim told me that when Liam and Gianna lost their jobs, Liam used to get so mad that he used to punch holes in the walls and she and Gianna used to have to hide in the basement because he got so crazy. And nobody ever mentioned that in all this counseling they've been going to."

"Oh. My. Gawd," shrieked Renée. "Poor Kim and Gianna."

"Then, Emmett blew up at all of them," I said. "He told them, and I quote, that he was - - goddamned fucking done - - with them."

"I just talked to you last night," she said. "When did this all happen?"

"All today," I said as I filled her in on my overly eventful day.

"I really feel for Emmett," she said when I finished. "He's been dealing with this his whole life."

"I know," I said. "I'll ask him if it's okay if you stay this week and next, but I'm telling you, he won't mind. Start looking at tickets."

I talked to my exuberant mom for the rest of the ride home. I actually couldn't wait to see her. As crazy as she was, she was normal to me and I liked being able to see her every day.

I let out a huge sigh of relief when I turned into our driveway and saw a light on in our bedroom, then found Emmett's car in the garage. I didn't even bother taking my bags out of the car; I raced upstairs and found New Business stretched out on our bed, staring blankly at the television. He still had his same clothes on, all he'd removed were his shoes.

I hastily removed my shoes and jeans, climbed onto the bed, then lifted my leg over to sit astride my dejected boyfriend. As if on instinct, his hands went straight for my thighs. His touch was comforting; it reassured me that we would be okay.

"You can't be too upset then," I said as he gave the smallest possible semblance of a smile.

"Please tell me what's going on," I said. "And before you start, no I'm not mad at you and nobody else is either. Oh, and Maggie says if you never speak to her again, she'll die."

"Gimme a fucking break," he said, rolling his eyes, as I laughed.

"That was my reaction," I said.

"I'm tired," he said as he shook his head. "That Kim and Liam shit was the last straw. I've been mad at my brother before, but I never wanted to physically hurt him. I knew I had to leave because I wanted to put my fist right in his mouth."

"I'm glad Kim said something," I replied. "I was surprised because when I first made my comment about how Liam talked to her that first night, she completely brushed it off."

"That's the McCarty way," he said disgustedly. "You know what's sad? I've been trying to remember what Liam said that first night you met them. I can't remember. He's said so much."

"The night you took me over there, we heard him yelling as soon as we walked up the sidewalk," I said. "You had me wait on the porch while you went inside. I didn't know Kim at the time, but he was screaming about how "you need food and you need clothes but you don't need fucking cheerleading."

"Cheerleading," he said as he shook his head. "There was more than one fight about that. No wonder I didn't remember."

"It never bothered you how he talked to Kim?" I asked.

"When he gets like that, I'm so busy trying to calm him down and stop Ma from getting too upset that I usually forget what set him off in the first place," he said. "That's why I'm so mad. We should've been focused on Kim. She's just a kid."

"If I'm being honest, I'm upset with Gianna too," I said. "She always makes comments about how Kim's getting to be a handful, and how she's acting out. Gee, I wonder why? Maybe she has some really fucked up shit to deal with at home, and then her family expects her to pretend like it never happened."

"Do you really believe he never hit them?" he asked suddenly as he stared at me with a disturbing intensity.

"I do believe it," I said. "Because of Henry."

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking confused.

"Kim and Henry are thicker than thieves," I said. "They're together all the time. If Henry saw bruises or signs of abuse on Kim that somehow nobody else saw, he'd say something. The McCarty code of silence isn't fully developed in him yet. If Henry thinks something's not right, he's telling."

"The McCarty code of silence," he said with a bitter laugh. "That's the perfect damn name for it."

"I call it like I see it," I said.

"I didn't believe Kim and Gianna when they said Liam never hit them," he said. "I thought they were protecting him, but you make a really good point about Henry. Once again, I overlooked the kids."

"You didn't intentionally overlook them," I said. "As you yourself just said, you get sidetracked trying to manage your mother, brother, and sister."

"I'm tired of being Mr. Fix Everything," he said after a long sigh. "When we were in Port Angeles, I really got pissed off. Me and Ma basically had to handle everything with Tim, while Emily sat there talking to her friend, letting us handle the heavy stuff. I know my sister has some issues, but sometimes she uses that shit. I'm over it. I need a vacation from them."

"So take one," I said. "I told them all to give you some space. Maybe just for this week, don't call them or see them. Harry and Mary are going to see the lawyer with your mom and Emily, so they can handle that. Harry basically ordered Liam and Gianna to talk to the therapist tomorrow and take Kim with them. It's a perfect time for you to take a break. Maybe you can talk to the kids, but that's it."

"I love those kids," he said fervently. "They don't deserve this shit."

"They don't," I said in agreement.

"I thought you'd be so mad at me for leaving like that," he said as he slowly massaged my thighs. "Making a scene at your dad's place. I felt bad about that."

"I always wondered how you never snapped from your family before," I said. "Unfortunately, it was time."

"You're like the perfect person for me," he said as he gazed at me and continued stroking my thighs. "You really get me."

"We all have our crosses to bear. You're mine," I said as he laughed.

"While I have you in a slightly better mood..." I began.

"What are you buttering me up for?" he asked as he grinned up at me.

"I figure Emily will be preoccupied with all the Tim stuff," I said. "There's only two weeks until the wedding, so I told her I'd ask if my mom could come a little early to help her."

"How early? Tomorrow?" he asked with a smirk.

"Possibly," I said as he laughed. "I talked to her and she said that Phil's leaving for Kansas this week and..."

"Kansas?" he remarked. "For what?"

"He grew up there," I said. "His family has a farm and his brother Larry runs it. Larry needs his help for a few weeks."

"Knowing your mom, I can guess farm life is not for her," he said with a laugh.

"Uh, it's not," I said. "Would it be okay if she stayed this week and next?"

"She can stay all summer if she wants," he said seriously. "There's plenty of space here, and she's not needy like my family."

"Well, that's not entirely true," I said as he laughed. "But she is pretty self-sufficient. You really don't mind?"

"No, I don't," he said.

"Thanks," I said as I leaned forward, placed my hands on his pillow, and touched my lips to his.

"However can I thank you?" I asked suggestively as his hands went a little higher up my thighs.

"I think I know a way," he replied with a grin.

Tomorrow, we'd be back to the world outside of our house, filled with all of the family and work problems, but for tonight, our only concerns were for each other.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think! No, this is not the end :)**


	18. Chapter 18: Time and Travel

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns **_**Twilight**_**. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters. **

* * *

_**New Business Guy**_**, Chapter 18:  
Time and Travel **

**BPOV**

I stood in the parking lot of Top Squad Cheer and Dance with Emmett and Liam as we waited for the rest of the family. While I truly enjoyed Kim's performances, I could have done without the pounding dance-techno music that had blared nonstop.

"My ears are_ still _ringing," Emmett said with a grimace. "Those little girls take screaming to a whole new level."

"The music was worse than the screaming to me," I said.

"It was worth sitting through the shitty music and screaming to see Kim that happy," Liam said as he smiled.

Kim had been taking cheerleading and dance classes all summer, and today - - the last day of the summer sessions - - the students put on a rousing performance for all of their friends and families. The rigorous classes provided an excellent escape for Kim in the difficult months that followed our revealing trip to Forks in June. After some very intense therapy sessions, and a referral to a second psychiatrist, Liam had been tentatively diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.

"How are you doing on the new meds?" I asked him as we waited.

"Okay," he said. "I don't feel like I wanna hurl all the time like I did with the last ones, but now I get real thirsty. But I'll take that over how I used to be. Gi and Kim say I'm doing way better so that's the main thing I care about."

Dr. Porter, the family's therapist, and Dr. Higgins, who specialized in bipolar disorder, stressed that it would take time to fully diagnose Liam, but they hadn't wavered in their initial assessment once Liam and the family finally came clean on the truth, sharing the volatile - - sometimes explosive - - nature of Liam's moods and patterns of behavior.

Dr. Higgins prescribed medication almost immediately and, in my opinion, the change in Liam's temperament could be seen almost as quickly. Now, Dr. Higgins's primary objective was determining the proper combination and dosage of meds for Liam to provide optimal results while minimizing side effects.

"I'm proud of you for sticking with the therapy and doing what the doctors ask you to do," I said as I took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I know it has to be hard for you, but I think you're doing great."

"We all do," Emmett said quietly.

After losing his temper with the family that Sunday at Charlie's, Emmett had only stopped speaking to them for the few days he'd been away on his business trip. They'd driven him to a breaking point, but he couldn't bear not talking to them for any extended period of time.

For his part, Liam went to every counseling session and doctor's appointment without complaint. He and Gianna both took off from work the week after the Forks trip, and Dr. Porter, the family therapist, couldn't have been more helpful in seeing them quickly and recommending next steps for Liam. He even had to see Dr. Snow, the family's doctor, to get a physical so that his baseline health levels could be established.

Emmett attended the family sessions with Maggie, Liam, and Emily when he wasn't away for work, and he no longer complained about therapy like he used to. None of them did. It was like Kim had opened up their box of secrets and they couldn't hide from the ugly truths any longer. The best part was that they didn't seem to want to.

"There's Maggie, so the others must be coming," I said as we looked toward the throngs of people exiting the building. The rest of the family soon reached us and I wasted no time pulling our little star in for a tight hug.

"You were so good out there," I said. "I don't know how you remembered all those routines."

"Thanks, Aunt Bella," Kim said with a huge grin. "I've been working hard all summer."

Liam hugged her as soon as I released her. I smiled at how far father and daughter had come these past few months.

"Kim did best than everybody," said little Austin.

"Yeah, you were way better than those other girls," Henry said.

"You were great, Kim," said Harry, "but next time I go to one of your recitals I'm bringing ear plugs."

We all laughed at his very true statement, and then discussed our plan of action for the rest of what promised to be a very long day.

"We have to pick up Champ from the groomers," Maggie said. "We'll head up to the picnic after that."

"I told Brett I'd ride with him because he's never been to Snohomish," Liam said.

"So we have to wait for him to get off work, then we'll go," Emily said.

"Kim needs to change clothes, and I need to go grocery shopping, but we'll leave after that," Gianna said.

"Does anybody need more tee shirts?" I asked. "I've got extras here in the car."

"I don't," Maggie said. "But Mary and Waylon wanted us to ask you if they could go. They had plans for today but those fell through."

"The more the merrier," I said. "I'll give you shirts for them."

I opened the door and pulled out the box Alice had given me with some of the extra tee shirts for today's company picnic, each of which was imprinted with the ATS name and logo. Emmett and I were already wearing ours. I gave Maggie the extra shirts and got into my car where Emmett, Liam, and Emily were waiting.

"No offense, but Kim must get her talent from Gianna's side of the family," I said as the McCarty siblings howled with laughter.

"Uh, yes, that's correct," Emily said as she laughed.

"I got two left feet," Liam said. "I can't even pretend like she learned that shit from me."

"I wanted to be a dancer but nobody nurtured that side of me, so I let the dream die," Emmett said, causing another round of raucous laughter.

Emily, Liam, and Emmett cracked jokes on each other the entire way to Emily's. I much preferred the teasing siblings to the fighting ones. Finally things were getting better for all of them and I couldn't think of a group of people who deserved happiness more.

After we dropped Emily and Liam off and stopped for gas, New Business turned to me and smirked.

"Ready to put your smiley face on all day, chief?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," I said. "This should be some event."

* * *

I sat back and enjoyed the scenery as Emmett drove to the picnic, which was being held on a farm in Snohomish, not quite an hour north of the city. I basically only traveled back and forth to work, and to the homes of our family and friends, but I considered myself still relatively new to Seattle and I loved seeing more of its surrounding areas.

"Parking attendants," Emmett said when we reached the farm. "Professional."

"And necessary," I replied. "We're expecting a few hundred people."

Emmett rolled down his window as the attendant leaned in to speak to us.

"Welcome to Covens Farm," he said. "Are you here for the ATS company picnic or the Fairley wedding?"

"The picnic," Emmett replied.

"Go straight down the drive and take the first left," the attendant said. "Sean's down there and he'll show you where to park. Have a great day!"

"This place is huge," I said as we drove through the well-maintained property. It certainly didn't look like any farm I'd ever seen, but then again, I hadn't seen that many farms. I supposed it stood to reason that not all farms featured cows, pigs, and other assorted barnyard animals. This one clearly didn't.

"There's a few places like this up here," Emmett replied. "I bet they make a ton of money hosting events like this. Look at all the land and space they have."

"We should tell Lindsey and Kevin," I said. "They're looking for places to have a reception."

"Kevin's coming to my gym tomorrow," he said. "I'll mention it."

We'd recently had our neighbors from the apartment - - the nurses, Lindsey and Kevin - - over for dinner at our place. In keeping with the theme of the year for almost everyone we knew, they'd become engaged and wanted to get married before the year was out. They told us they were having great difficulty finding a place to have it though. This farm might be just what they needed.

We reached the second attendant who showed us where to park, not that he needed to: we could have just followed the gigantic banner tied between two large trees at the edge of the parking lot. It read:

_**ATS Company Picnic**_**  
Saturday, August 3, 2013  
Covens Farm * Snohomish, WA**

"There's a Bentley convertible, a Benz, a Porsche, and a BMW," New Business said. "I'd say the other chiefs are here."

"That Bentley is actually Jake's," I said.

"Must be loving his new salary," he said with a laugh.

As soon as he turned off the engine, I saw a flash of blonde hair heading straight for us. We looked at each other and cracked up laughing.

"Rose still has her radar turned on for you, after all this time," I said as he guffawed.

Rose marched straight toward us with baby Chancellor in her arms; both wore their ATS tees.

"Hi, Emmett," she said brightly. "I didn't think Bella would get you in one of our shirts."

"It's free, and it fits," he replied with a grin. "I'm surprised to see you in one. When I worked there, tee shirts weren't really your style."

"They're still not," she said. "But Carlisle wants everyone to wear them to show unity. I can survive for one day."

"We certainly ordered enough," I said as I smiled at the baby.

Carlisle gave the social committee a sizeable budget for the picnic. In addition to contracting with the farm owners and game vendors, they'd ordered hundreds of tee shirts in about ten different colors and every possible size. Alice and the committee put the boxes of shirts in the break rooms this week so that people could take them for their family members. Rose was currently looking at my navy blue shirt with a frown.

"Why'd you wear such a dark color?" she asked.

"I figured if I do the water balloon toss and get wet, I didn't want to put on a show for the kiddies," I said.

"I didn't even think about that," Rose said, looking alarmed as she looked down at her own pale pink shirt. She had even more in the tits department than I did, and that fact seemed to hit her.

"No water games for me then," she said before turning to New Business. "You look great, Emmett. I hear you're doing well at Summit-Meyer. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," he said a little awkwardly. "I'm glad things are going well for you too."

I chuckled at their little exchange, but Emmett wasn't as amused. He quickly changed the subject to baby Chancellor, who stared up at him as if he were some sort of alien.

"The baby definitely looks like your family, and he seems really comfortable with you," he said.

"That's because he wuvs his Auntie Wose," she said in a high-pitched voice that caused Chancellor to smile and coo.

"How old is he now?" Emmett asked.

"He'll be ten weeks on Monday," Rose said.

We all turned as another car pulled up beside ours: Caius and Dora had arrived.

"Good to see you, Emmett," said Caius when they reached us.

"You too," he replied.

"This is my wife, Dora," said Caius. "I don't think you two have ever met."

"I've heard all about you," Emmett said as he shook hands with Dora.

"I'm sure you have," she said as we all laughed.

"I heard about your new position," Emmett said to Caius. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," he replied. "But Bella deserves the credit. It was her idea."

After completing the company-wide assessments last month, a glaring need within my team became obvious: someone had to lead marketing, permanently. I'd been spending at least two-thirds of my time there and I couldn't keep doing it. I decided to create a director of marketing position; that had actually been Peter's title before I split marketing into two groups.

Meanwhile, the exec team had been discussing how we might utilize Caius once the year ended. We'd just had another round of hiring, and in marketing, we brought in four new conference associates. Once they were trained, what would become of him?

The solution - - asking him to lead the marketing team - - seemed like a no-brainer. After discussing the matter with Carlisle, I offered the position to Caius. He accepted as soon as I asked him. We agreed that he would spend August training the four new CMAs. He'd start as director next month, on September 2nd.

"Caius Cullen in a tee shirt," I said. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"We all know I look good in anything," he said as we laughed. "This olive green quite becomes me."

"It does," I replied, still chuckling.

"I'm happy to wear one of these for today," he said. "Having this picnic is actually one of Carlisle's best ideas. It's a real show of company strength, for the people who've been here the longest to those who've just been hired."

He'd been staring at the baby the entire time we'd been talking and finally he could take no more. He carefully took his grandson from Rose's arms as the baby cooed and smiled at his grandfather.

"Bella, this is perfect timing," said Dora. "I'd like a word, if you don't mind."

"Sure, Dora."

"We'll just head in," Emmett said. "The baby can tell me what it's like dealing with his family."

Dora and I watched as they walked into the picnic area; she started talking as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Bella, I don't think you understand how happy Caius is that you found a permanent spot for him," she said warmly.

"Caius leading marketing will help me a lot, so I'm happy too," I said.

"You promised him a job through the end of the year but the year is going by very quickly," she said. "He was already worrying about what would happen once it ends."

"He's the right person for the job," I said. "He works well with the whole team. It's a great fit."

"I wondered about Peter and Jared," she said. "Caius told me that they didn't want the job. Is that true?"

"Not exactly," I replied. "But it all boils down to money and quality of life."

"Doesn't everything?" she remarked as we laughed together.

"Jared loves heading up website and promotions, and Peter loves leading the conference side," I said. "But they both get commission now, plus their base. The whole team does, but the marketing director won't."

"Understood," Dora said with a shrewd grin. "They could make a lot more money on commission."

"Exactly," I said.

"I feel better now," she said. "That was the only thing that didn't make sense to me. They're both relatively young, and I couldn't understand why they didn't jump at the opportunity to advance. I didn't want them to resent Caius and make things difficult."

"They wouldn't do that," I said. "I talked with both of them at length, and they _do_ want to advance eventually. But the team is really clicking on all cylinders right now and nobody wants to mess that up."

"Unfortunately, that could change at any moment," she said.

"I know," I said. "That's another reason I thought Caius would be perfect for the job. He's been there when things have been bad before. I don't think there's anyone better equipped to lead us through a rough patch if it happens."

"That's certainly the truth," she said. "Look how he held his family together for all those years."

"Has their relationship thawed at all?" I asked. "He's fine with Rose and Edward now, but what about the others?"

"There's no change. He's done," she said. "It hurts him to see what's happening to them, but he said he wasn't going to spend the rest of his life fighting with them over money and he meant it."

"He does seem a lot happier these days," I said.

"He is," she said. "The family fucked up and they know it. Edward, Rose, and Carlisle are the only ones with any of their inheritance left. Caius said the others would run through theirs once he gave up control of the funds and he was right. Didn't even last a year."

I gasped dramatically for effect as I settled in for the latest gossip on the Cullen clan. She started with Caius's siblings: Corin, Renata, and Afton.

"Corin and Renata have their husbands to depend on, but Afton's really struggling right now," she said. "His wife never worked and those girls of his don't want to do anything. He's so desperate, he asked Caius for a loan last month."

"No way," I said as my mouth fell open.

"Oh yes," she said with a bitter laugh. "I think you can imagine what Caius had to say. Then, Afton tried to pressure Rose into selling the house."

"The house where she had the baby shower?" I asked. "Rose said her grandparents left that to her."

"They did," Dora said, eagerly dishing the dirt. "But Afton told Rose if she cared about the family, she'd realize that it belonged to all of them. He wanted her to sell it so the money could be split between them, and he wanted her to find jobs for the girls at ATS."

"I bet Rose was pissed," I said. "And Caius probably hit the roof."

"You know them well," Dora said. "Caius, Edward, and Carlisle were furious because they're very serious about keeping the family out of ATS affairs as much as possible, especially now that the company's doing so well. And Aro left the house to Rose in the first place because he knew she'd be the only one besides Caius who wouldn't ever sell it."

"She does love her family," I said.

"She's very protective of all of them," Dora said. "Right now, nobody's talking to Afton. It's a bad situation."

"I can't say I blame Caius for not getting involved then," I said as I shook my head.

"I'm proud of him for protecting himself, even if it means shutting out some of the family," she said. "I tell him all the time: he's not a rent-a-husband to me. I love him."

I was laughing so hard at that blunt assessment of her relationship that I didn't notice Alice approaching us, but Dora did.

"Here comes the busybody," she said as she rolled her eyes. "I must have kept you out here too long."

"Hey, I always have time for rich people gossip," I said as we laughed. "And Alice might be a busybody but her heart's in the right place."

"Debatable," Dora muttered as Alice reached us.

"Dora, where's your tee shirt?" she asked. "Good thing we have extras."

"I don't _do_ tee shirts," Dora said haughtily as she tossed her nose in the air and walked away.

"I don't _do_ tee shirts," Alice said, mimicking Dora as I tried not to laugh. "Total bitch. Anyway, I need you to come with me."

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

We chatted more as we walked into the property. It almost looked like a mini-carnival with all of the booths, games, and stations that had been set up.

"I haven't seen very much, but what I have seen looks great," I said.

"Thanks," Alice replied. "Looks like the weather's going to cooperate, so it should be a good day."

I followed her back toward a barn-looking structure; once we reached it, I saw that it held a gift shop and bathrooms. Carlisle and the other chiefs stood in front of it, along with Esme and two women I didn't know.

I spoke to everyone and chuckled at Esme's overly enthusiastic greeting. Since the baby shower and the birth of the baby, she'd come in to the office many times. While she primarily stayed up in Carlisle's suite, she always sought me out to chat as if we were long lost friends.

"Bella, this is my friend, Charity," Edward said as he introduced one of the women I didn't recognize. He called her a friend, but the way she was pressed against his side clearly indicated that she was more. I had to say something.

"A Cullen dating a woman named Charity," I said. "There's a joke in there somewhere."

Charity, who'd been giving me something of a stink eye at first, burst out laughing, as did the others.

"This is my girlfriend, Vanessa," said Jake as he introduced the other woman.

"Nice to meet you," I said. "We've heard absolutely nothing about you."

Again, everyone cracked up laughing, including Vanessa.

"Let's hope that changes after today," she said as she grinned at Jake.

Neither Jake nor Edward ever talked about women around us, even though we all knew they were seeing people. So it was kind of a big deal that both of them brought someone to such a public event. If Charity and Vanessa were going to be a part of the gang, they'd have to be prepared for some teasing and ribbing.

"Where's Embry?" I asked Rose.

"He's coming later," she said with a broad grin.

Jake rolled his eyes at me and I bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh. Rose and Embry were still an item and Jake still wasn't happy about it.

"Did Emmett come with you?" Esme asked. "I was hoping to see him."

"He's here," I said. "Last I saw, he was with Caius and Rose."

"He's with Jasper now," Alice said. "They're helping tie down the bounce house for the kids. Okay, let's get started."

As tiny as she was, Alice could be very commanding when she wanted to, this being one of those times.

"I asked you all to come a little early because Carlisle wants the exec team to greet everyone when they come in," she said.

"I think we should," he said. "This is a rare opportunity to connect with our staff on a personal level and we need to take it."

"It's just after one now, and we told people to be here by two if possible," Alice said. "I want you to stand right by the parking lot, and when people come in, greet them and give them these programs. They have a little map of where everything is - - the bathrooms, the face painting station, the games, the picnic tables, the food - and a schedule for the day. Any questions?"

Having received our marching orders, we collected the programs and trudged back toward the parking lot, laughing and joking with Esme, Charity, and Vanessa. We stopped to talk to Jasper and Emmett when we passed them; they stood off to the side, talking with some of the farm staffers.

"He still fucking hates me," Edward said when we walked away. He'd tried to shake hands with Emmett, but New Business pretended not to notice.

"Hate's such a strong word," I said. "It's more like, he still fucking doesn't like you."

Again, we howled with laughter, even Edward. Emmett couldn't_ stand_ Edward and it simply wasn't going to change.

We arrived at the parking lot just in time to find all of the assorted Cullen family members getting out of several cars. Rose and Edward's fathers came too, as did Edward's twin, Anthony. He looked at least twenty pounds heavier than the last time I'd seen him when he was stumbling drunk at Esme's baby shower. Still, he looked clean and sober which was much more important than a few extra pounds.

I noticed that Caius's brother, Afton, wasn't with them, but his wife and daughters were. We greeted them all and gave out programs. But when the dads and cousins all walked away toward the festivities, the mothers lingered and the comments began.

"Bella, it's great to see you again," said Cassidy, Carlisle's mother.

"It is," said Edward's mom, Corin. "You're almost an honorary member of the family."

I tried not to roll my eyes. These ladies were too much, but in all honesty, I'd take their fake niceties over their seething hatred any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

"Is your mother here this time?" asked Renata, Rose's mother.

"No, not this time," I said. "It's good to see you all too."

As the threesome turned their collective attention to Esme and Charity, I noticed they hadn't deigned to wear tee shirts either.

"Where's Chancellor?" Renata asked sharply.

"Don't know," Esme said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You don't know where your baby is, but I'll bet you know exactly where to find my son's wallet," said Cassidy with a disgusted expression.

"Mother that's enough," Carlisle said tiredly as I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "The baby's with Caius and Dora right now."

"That's worse than him being lost," Cassidy mumbled.

"Didn't think I'd see you here, Charity," said Corin as her eyes traveled over her son's date.

"Uh, yes, Edward asked me to come, so here I am," Charity replied.

She looked like a lamb being lead to slaughter. They'd eat her alive if she didn't toughen up.

"My nephew asks plenty of women plenty of places," said Renata dismissively. "This is no different. You're just like all the others."

"Oh look, more people," Rose said loudly over her mother as several more cars pulled into the lot. "You should get in and find tables before they fill up."

With final glares at Esme and Charity, Renata, Cassidy, and Corin walked off.

"My god they're vicious," said Charity as she let out a deep breath.

"I'm sorry about that," Edward said.

I chuckled as he hugged her, and I decided to give her a piece of advice.

"If you're going to stick around, you can't be all nervous like that around them," I said. "You can't show any fear. Take it from me."

"Bella's right," Esme said. "They used to take turns making me cry, then they'd laugh. I've heard it all; it just doesn't bother me anymore."

"It sounds like some kind of jacked-up gang initiation," said Vanessa, Jake's girlfriend, who looked stunned by the caustic exchange.

"It feels like we're in a gang sometimes," muttered Edward as we screamed with laughter.

People began to arrive in earnest, and I enjoyed meeting everyone's spouses and significant others, kids, friends, and family members.

"Bella," shouted Randall as he introduced his mother. "This is the woman who blessed the world with me."

"Thanks for that, really," I said sarcastically as everyone fell out laughing.

"So nice to finally meet you," she said as she hugged me. "I've heard so much about you from Randall and Jared. This is my son's first stable job. I can't thank you enough."

Riley and Ricky's mother said almost the exact same thing. "My husband finally hired help for his painting business," she whispered. "Ricky loves it at ATS. He says you're a great boss. Thanks so much for giving him a chance."

Next, I met the other members of Lizzie and Tucker's family, one of whom was more interested in seeing someone else than meeting me.

"Is Kim here yet?" asked Adam, Lizzie's youngest son.

"She's on her way," I said with a smirk. "Why so curious?"

He blushed furiously as Tucker and his other brother made kissing noises at him, and Lizzie and her husband laughed.

"I haven't seen her since school last year," Adam mumbled. "I just wanted to see her."

Heidi and her boyfriend arrived next. We'd just learned last month that Heidi was pregnant, and only now was it obvious in her snug tee shirt.

"Aww, look at the baby bump," said Rose.

"You just shut it," replied Heidi with a grin. "I thought I could fit this but I can't fit anything anymore. It's kind of ridiculous."

"There's extra shirts inside," I said. "Plenty of sizes left."

"Thank god for Alice," she replied.

Edward was the only one not laughing after Heidi left.

"I don't know what I'll do when she has the baby," he said, raking his hands through his hair.

"You'll have to step up and train the team until she gets back, chief," I said. "I have faith in you."

"I don't," said Jake, as we laughed all over again.

Seth and his mother and girlfriend were next, followed by Logan who brought her mother, sister, niece, and nephew.

"Now I see why we ordered so many shirts," Rose said.

"Alice said we're expecting close to three hundred people," Carlisle said eagerly. "I think it's great that people want to bring their families."

Ben and Angie, with Ben's parents, were next.

"I thought you weren't coming," I said to Angie after I greeted them all.

"I've had it with all the wedding talk," she said tiredly. "I needed a break."

"The wedding's three weeks away," I said. "If things aren't lined up by now, they're probably not going to be."

"That's how I feel," she said. "Point me to the food."

Several people from sales and I.T. were next and, finally, I saw Harry's van pull into the lot. I introduced the chiefs to Maggie and Harry, Mary, Waylon, and Austin. I had to chuckle at the frosty stares Maggie and Mary gave Carlisle, Rose, and Edward.

"I'm staying wif you," Austin announced as he wrapped his arms around my left leg and grinned up at me.

"Good. My leg didn't have enough sticky stuff on it," I said as everyone laughed.

"Sorry, Bella," Maggie said as she pulled a pack of baby wipes from her purse. "I meant to wipe his hands in the car."

The residue of whatever he'd been eating or drinking was now all over my leg wherever he touched me, but I was used to these kinds of things by now, having sat with the kids often. I noticed that Rose couldn't stop smiling at Austin. I couldn't even tease her because lately, I found myself thinking about what it would be like to have kids too. Maybe we were just at that age.

Another wave of people arrived, including Carmen and her husband, and the rest of the finance and sales teams. Among the last people to arrive was Gianna, with Kim and Henry, as well as Emily, Brett, and Liam. There was also a young girl I didn't know with them.

"Aunt Bella, this is my best friend, Dana," Kim said as she introduced me to the shy-looking girl.

"Thanks for letting me come," Dana said quietly.

"You're welcome," I said. "I hope you have a good time."

After the rest of the introductions, I had to get on with more important matters: teasing.

"Kim, Sasha's here already," I said. "Lizzie's son Adam is here too. He was looking for you."

That sent both girls into a fit of giggles as they dashed up the path.

"Are there really gonna be games here?" Henry asked dubiously. "They made me leave my Playstation in the car."

"There's a bunch of games," I said. "There's plenty of kids your age here too. You won't need that video game."

At the mention of other kids, Henry's face perked up considerably and he raced up the path. Austin stayed with me even when Emily and Brett went in. The chiefs and I talked and laughed as we greeted the last few stragglers.

All the while, we could hear the buzz of the crowd behind us as music blared and laughter rang out. People were clearly having a good time. After one of the newly hired sales reps arrived with her boyfriend and her sister, we decided to head in. I was starting to get hungry as I smelled the food from the grill.

"I think that's everybody from my team," Edward said.

"All of finance is here," Jake said.

"My group's here too, except for one or two people," Rose said.

"I think all of operations is here too, except for Chelsea, and she told me she'd be late," I said.

Alice validated our decision by coming to relieve us.

"You guys did a great job," she said. "People are talking, and they liked that you were all here to greet them. You're free to do what you want now. When it's time for the games, we'll get on the mike."

"Let's go, Austin," I said as I grabbed his hand. "Time to eat."

* * *

"You gotta tell me who some of these people are," Emmett said. "I barely recognize anybody anymore."

We sat at one of the picnic tables, and while Austin and I ate, New Business asked about various people he'd encountered.

"I'm really proud of you for sticking it out here," he said suddenly. "After that holiday party, I wanted you to quit, but you didn't, and you made good things happen here. It showed me that you're your own woman and you do what you think is right, even if it's not what I want."

"Thank you," I said. "That's why we make a good team. I ignore the more foolish of your ideas, which is actually quite a lot of them."

"Smart ass," he growled in my ear. Gradually, our table filled with family and friends as they took the time to grab a bite to eat as well.

"How's married life treating you?" Angie asked Emily. "I don't think I've seen you since the wedding."

"Very well," Emily said as she covered Austin's ears and lowered her voice. "I'm loving all the sex."

New Business pretended to gag while the rest of us laughed. We were thankfully saved from deeper discussion on the matter by an excited-looking Maggie.

"Bella, who's Jackie?" she asked.

"She's our receptionist on the eleventh floor," I said. "Did you meet her?"

"I did," she replied. "She said she works in your group. Her husband's here with her and Harry used to work with him on the force. He was even at Harry's retirement party, but she didn't go."

"Small world," Emily said with a chuckle.

"Now that you mention it, she did say that her husband used to be a cop," Gianna said. "I never thought to ask if she knew Harry."

"I didn't think you had many older people working there, but Jackie's my age," Maggie said with a grin. "I was surprised."

"We don't discriminate, at least we try not to," I said as she laughed.

Next, Kim, Dana, and Sasha joined us at the table, having stopped socializing long enough to eat.

"Henry's not with you?" Emily asked.

"He's playing horseshoes with some girl," Kim said. "We watched them for a while, but she was nice to him so we left them alone. There's a bunch of other kids over there."

"Our little Henry's growing up," Emmett said as we all laughed.

Gianna, however, frowned as she examined the glittery fake tattoo on Kim's forearm. Upon closer inspection, all the girls had them.

"I hope that comes off easily," Gianna said.

"The lady at the face painting booth did them," said Sasha. "She says they come off with soap and water."

"I've heard that before," muttered Gianna as the girls giggled and told us about some of the other kids they'd met.

I couldn't help but feel complete, surrounded by the family. All the drama and angst we'd endured had only served to strengthen our bond.

"What?" Emmett whispered to me as his hand squeezed my thigh. "Why are you smiling?"

"Just happy," I said. "This is a good day."

The response he'd been about to give was interrupted by Carlisle.

"If I could have everyone's attention, please," he said.

We all turned to the sound of his voice, and found him standing in front of the barn. He was holding the still-wide-awake baby Chancellor and a cordless microphone.

"I want to thank everyone for coming to the first annual ATS Company Picnic," he said. "I don't think it could have been any more of a success. I'll make this brief because we have much more fun planned, but there are a few things that have to be said."

People gathered closer so they could listen to him, and I noticed that Rose and Edward were standing near Carlisle. He handed the microphone to Rose.

"We started ATS four years ago this summer," she said. "And we always envisioned a company where we worked with smart, ambitious, dedicated people who'd help ATS become successful. We had some bumps along the way, but this is the ATS we always wanted, and we owe it all to you. Thank you for everything that you do, and for allowing us to meet your friends and families. This has been a great day."

Rose passed the mike back to Carlisle.

"I've never seen Rose that happy," Emmett whispered to me. "Embry must be..."

"Quiet," I said before he could make his joke. He laughed, as did Gianna and a few others who overheard him.

"I'd like to take a moment to recognize the other members of the executive team," Carlisle said. "A structure is only as good as its foundation, and ATS would be nothing without ours. I can't tell you how many hours the chiefs work in order to keep us running."

"I can. Too damn many," Emmett grumbled as everyone at my table snickered.

"Bella and Jake, please join us up here," Carlisle said.

"Wipe that food off your face before you go, chief," Angie said to me as everyone at our table finally lost it and laughed boisterously.

I hastily wiped my face and joined the rest of the exec team as Rose took the mike again.

"We've had our struggles at ATS," she said, "and everyone here has helped us right the ship. But there are two people who deserve special recognition. Without their advice, guidance, and leadership, we wouldn't be so strong today. Caius and Bella, thank you, from all of us."

Edward nudged me forward a little, and Caius appeared out of nowhere beside me, grinning from ear to ear as we received thunderous applause and even a few whistles.

"I guess this officially makes up for the holiday party," Caius whispered.

"I would say so," I replied. "Let's take a bow."

I did a little curtsey while Caius bowed dramatically. When I stepped back, Rose leaned down and whispered into my ear.

"This makes us Even Steven, bitch," she said with a big grin.

I turned away so no one would hear me cackling with laughter. When I stopped laughing, I resumed listening to Carlisle.

"... to thank Loretta and Vince, the owners of this beautiful venue," he said. "We've had a great time, and if I have anything to say about it, we'll be back next year."

The thrilled-looking owners stepped forward and we applauded as Edward handed them an envelope.

"Finally, I _have_ to thank our incredible social committee," Carlisle said. "All of their events are professional and well done, but this one puts all the others to shame. Would you all please come forward?"

Alice, Chelsea, and the six other members of the social committee stepped forward to more thunderous applause as Rose handed each of them an envelope.

"One more thing before we break for the games," Edward yelled into the mike over the din.

He waited until everyone settled down before speaking.

"We've thanked the exec team, and Bella and Caius, and the social committee," Edward said. "They all deserve it but there are two more people who deserve a little love too. They've been here longer than any other associates..."

Alice immediately grabbed my hand and gasped as I smiled at her.

"... they've stuck with us through some really rough times," Edward said. "They kept us grounded then, and they keep us grounded now. Alice and Jasper, thank you from all of us. Please come forward."

Jasper looked absolutely stunned as he came forward while Alice actually shed a few tears. I was among the loudest people clapping and yelling as Rose handed them each an envelope. However, it didn't take my spritely friend long to collect herself.

"Jasper and I really appreciate this," Alice yelled into the mike. "But that's enough thank you's. Let the games begin!"

* * *

After the games, which included a spoon race, a hula hoop contest, a three-legged race, and finally, the water balloon toss, I found myself talking to Rose as the day wound down.

"Good call on the shirt," Rose said. "I mean, your shirt's still wet, but it would've looked worse with a lighter color."

"It'll dry by the time I leave," I said. "That was actually a lot of fun."

"Did you see Embry's mother, and Jake's?" she asked. "They just got here half an hour ago."

"I met them," I said. "They were hilarious. I see where Jake gets his sense of humor from."

Rose gave a bitter laugh. "Trust me, they weren't laughing with me," she said.

"Did they meet your parents?" I asked.

"They did," she said. "Embry thought it went pretty well, but I could tell his mother didn't care for me."

"I'm going to say this as delicately as I can," I replied as she chuckled.

"Are you going to tell me it's all my fault?" she asked.

"No," I said. "But I don't think you realize the vibe that you give off. It's a bit cool, some might say cold or frigid, or even..."

"Okay, thanks, I get it," she shouted as we laughed.

"I'm not saying that you need to change," I said. "I'm only telling you that because it just means it'll probably take some time for them to warm up to you. Don't push it and don't try to rush things."

"I appreciate you saying that," she said with a sigh. "I swear I'm not like this on purpose. It's just how I am."

"Just be who you are," I said. "But you can't expect them to instantly warm up to you. They need to get to know you."

"How was it with Emmett's mother at first?" she asked. "She really loves you. Every time I passed her today, she was bragging to people about you."

I smiled; that sounded like Maggie.

"We had our differences in the beginning," I said. "But now, I love her too. Just be patient. You'll see. If it's meant to be, it will be."

"Thanks," she said.

"Now I have a question for you," I said. "How did you manage to keep Tanya from coming today?"

"Tanya pissed off a lot of people here, and she knows it," Rose said with a chuckle. "Even with all the new people who don't even know who she is, she figured some of the ones who remember her wouldn't take kindly to her being here."

"That was smart on her part," I said as someone called my name.

Rose and I both turned in the direction of the voice. It was Caius, walking toward us with Dora and Carlisle.

"I'm glad you found a way to keep Uncle Cai on permanently," Rose said before they reached us. "He's not really a technical guy, and I didn't have anything for him on my team. Edward was thinking of having him fill in for Heidi when she goes on maternity leave, but that won't be for a while and it wouldn't be permanent. He'll be great in marketing."

"We need him," I said simply. "I'm glad to have him on the team."

"I didn't want you to run off," Caius said. "We came to say our goodbyes."

"I had a very nice time," said Dora. "This was a wonderful idea."

"It was everything I hoped it would be and much more," Carlisle said.

"I talked to people from each of the teams," Caius said. "I haven't heard a single complaint. This was truly a great event. You have to do this every year."

"I plan to," Carlisle said.

Rose and I talked with them for quite a few more minutes before Caius and Dora ultimately left, holding hands.

The twentieth of August - - just over two weeks away - - would mark my year anniversary with ATS. That stubborn, proud man had been responsible for my coming here in the first place. For that reason, Caius Cullen would always hold a special place of honor in my heart.

"He finally fell asleep," Esme said. She'd just walked up to us with Chancellor, who was indeed knocked out on her shoulder.

"He was awake for a long time," Carlisle said, smiling at his son.

"This was a lot of excitement for him," Rose said. "He saw so many new faces today."

"Maybe he'll sleep through the night," Carlisle said as I chuckled. "Fingers crossed."

I talked with them for a few more minutes, but Alice pulled me away for gossip, of course. Not that I minded. After that, it seemed that my whole operations team wanted to say goodbye to me and I was pulled into conversation after conversation with each of them and their families as they left.

Finally, at 6:47, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and I stood in the nearly empty parking lot as we prepared to leave.

"Not to put a damper on things, but I have to ask," Alice said. "What happened at family court yesterday? Emily was laughing all day today. I guess it was good news?"

"Not really," Emmett said with a sigh. "A couple weeks ago, the judge requested that Tim get drug tested, and he failed his test."

"Damn," said Jasper. Alice gasped and shook her head.

"In court yesterday, his girlfriend started screaming that the test was wrong, but Tim admitted it," Emmett said. "He looked bad when we saw him in June and he looks worse now."

"I guess that rules out him seeing the boys, right?" Jasper asked.

"Oh yeah," Emmett said. "He's really fucked up. I was mad when he showed back up in June, but I feel like everybody else now. He's just pitiful. That's why I can't say it's good news. That dude needs serious help."

"Emily said the judge ordered him to go to rehab and counseling," I said. "It'll be months before there's another hearing. Right now, he's not allowed to have any contact with the boys at all, no phone calls, no nothing."

"It's for the best, until he can get himself together," Alice said as talk turned to another McCarty.

"Liam looks good," Jasper said. "I'm glad the medication is helping."

"Me too," Emmett said. "We've all been reading up on bipolar, and there's so many little things he always did that we just shrugged off that were actually signs. We could've helped him a long time ago."

"Did they give him a hard time at his job about leaving early some days for counseling?" Jasper asked. "The last time I saw him, he was worried about that, but I told him they were supposed to make accommodation."

"His boss _was_ pissed about adjusting his schedule for the counseling," Emmett said. "He took him off dispatch and put him on some other job in the warehouse at first. Liam didn't really care because it was the same pay, but the replacement dispatcher didn't work out real well, so they just put Liam back as dispatcher."

"I hope he's been telling HR everything," Jasper said. "I told him to keep them in the loop."

"He is, just like you told him," Emmett said. "They've been great about it, helping with the medical leave and trying to help him figure out what to do to keep from having so many copays with all the doctor visits. He's gonna switch health plans when it's open enrollment time."

"I'm just glad to see that he's still like himself," Alice said. "I thought he'd seem drugged up and kind of out of it, but he doesn't at all."

"I was worried about that too," Emmett said. "But he's basically the same; he just doesn't flip out all the time for no reason like he used to."

Just then, Jasper dropped the bag he was holding and his envelope slipped out.

"What did the chiefs give you?" I asked.

"A gift card to Best Buy," Jasper said with a grin. "I already have plans for it."

"I got two gift cards to Nordstrom," Alice said. "They're burning a hole in my pocket."

"I told her we're not stopping at the mall today," Jasper said as we laughed. "We're going straight home."

"I wonder why they didn't give you and Caius something?" Alice asked.

"I think our gift was being acknowledged in front of the whole company to make up for the holiday party once and for all," I said. "Caius and I were fine with it."

I actually knew the real reason we probably hadn't received a gift today: we'd both be receiving monetary recognition soon. Caius's new position as marketing director came with a substantial increase over his current salary, and Carlisle flat-out told me to expect to be "rewarded" at my one-year review, which I'd be having with him in just a few weeks.

"Bella, tell me the truth," Jasper said. "Did you tell them to do that for me and Alice?"

"I didn't," I replied. "We barely talked about the company picnic at all in the exec team meetings. This has really been between Carlisle, Alice, and the social committee."

"This was Carlisle's thing," Alice said. "He _really_ wanted this picnic to be a big success. He seems determined to make his own mark as CEO. People will remember this, in a good way."

"All three of you deserved what they did after all the bullshit you've put up with," Emmett said. "I was pretty impressed that they recognized you. There's hope for them yet."

"It meant a lot," Jasper said quietly. "That was decent."

"Caius was knocking over babies and old people to get to the front when they called his name," Alice said as we laughed.

"Okay, I don't know about you two, but I'm about to collapse on my feet," I said. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah, we were here before anybody," Alice said tiredly. "It's time to go."

Emmett and I climbed into his car and deposited our assorted shirts, prizes, and bags inside.

"In all seriousness, I had a really good time," he said. "The whole family did."

"I did too. I'm just sorry I never had time to get one of those fake tattoos," I said with a smirk.

"What were you going to get?" he asked as he grinned.

"I was torn. Either a heart, or some initials, right here," I said, pointing right above my left breast.

"Hmm, I won't ask _whose_ initials because tattoos are private, personal things," he said as I cackled. "But if you want something on your tits, I could certainly help you out. It might not be glittery, but you could make some initials in it, until it slides off anyway."

"You are so fucking disgusting and nasty," I said, laughing, as he guffawed.

"Hey, you're the one who loves me, so that says more about you than me," he said as he pulled out of the lot.

He was quite right: I did love him, filthy mouth and all.

* * *

The weeks after the company picnic passed at light speed, much like the rest of the year. But the other chiefs and I couldn't help but notice the energy and camaraderie evident in the office after the picnic. It wasn't that everyone got along perfectly or that we suddenly didn't have any problems, but having such a big event really seemed to reassure people that we were a professional outfit with solid leadership.

Confidence in Carlisle in particular was at an all-time high.

My mom and Phil returned a few weeks after the picnic for Angie's wedding, which was a truly beautiful affair. Mrs. Weber and Angel seemed overwhelmed by the understated elegance of the ceremony at the Bainbridge Island home of Ben's grandparents, and they were more quiet and subdued than I'd ever seen them.

On a more personal level, Emmett and I were so excited we almost couldn't stand ourselves: we'd finally planned vacation time together. We requested a few days off around my birthday to go to Phoenix; it would be my first trip back since I'd left last summer.

But best of all, in late October, New Business and I would be taking a full week's vacation to celebrate our year-anniversary together. Emmett asked if he could plan the trip and make it a surprise; I readily agreed. I couldn't wait to see what he had in store.

Before I knew it, after work on Wednesday of my birthday week, I was standing in the airport in Phoenix, hugging my mom and making a scene.

"I'm so glad you came," said Renée with a beaming smile.

"I planned to visit so many times," I said, "but time just got away from me."

"I understand," she replied. "Now that the weddings are over, and you're settled in at your house, I think I'm done traveling for the year."

"That makes two of us," Phil said. "The farm passed inspection so I won't be going back to Kansas until next summer. We're not going anywhere else this year."

My phone rang then; it was Charlie, asking if we'd made it to Phoenix. I talked with him briefly before ending the call.

"Did he sell the old house?" Renée asked. "You never said and I keep forgetting to ask."

"I've been wondering too," Phil said. "It was on the market for a long time."

"It sold last month," I said. "It just passed inspection. Charlie said the new guy's moving in soon."

"What about Maggie's?" Renée asked.

"She still doesn't want to sell it yet, so we're not pushing her about it," Emmett replied.

"How much weight has she lost?" Renée asked. "When we were there, I didn't know if she was losing on purpose or if she was sick, so I didn't say anything."

"She's down twenty-five pounds now," Emmett said. "When she had that exploratory surgery, they found out she had diverticulitis."

"That's in the intestines, in the bowels, right?" asked Phil. "My granddad had that."

"Yeah, that's it," Emmett said. "She couldn't really eat like she normally did while they were treating that. But when she got better, she decided to try to eat healthier."

"Harry's lost weight too," I said. "They're doing great."

"How's Liam?" Phil asked. "I thought he looked really good when we were just there."

"He's better," Emmett replied. "He's on three kinds of meds now, and this combination seems to be doing the best so far."

"What about Kim?" Renée asked. "She must've had a rough summer."

"Things are much better now," I said. "She has her bratty moments like all thirteen-year olds, but she's pretty happy these days."

"The kids just went back to school last week," New Business said, "so she's having a great time back with all her friends."

They asked about Emily next. We filled them in on the latest, but only one thing had changed since their last update.

"Tim's still in rehab, but Brett and Emily asked the lawyer to file a petition for Brett to adopt the boys," Emmett said. "We have to see what happens with that now."

"I'm glad," Renée said. "Brett's very stable."

"It's a good thing Harry used to be a cop," Phil said. "He's used to drama. Any other guy might have cut out on this family by now."

"When people ask what he's doing in retirement, he says, 'Managing Maggie and her family'," I remarked as the others laughed.

We talked more about the family on the ride, and soon we were turning into my old neighborhood, then the old street, and then the driveway of the home I knew so well. The house seemed so familiar, yet so foreign to me.

"I don't know why I thought your house was some tiny little thing," New Business said as he looked around outside. "This place is pretty big."

"It's a lot to keep up," Renée said, "but I don't think I could ever leave."

Entering the house felt like stepping into a time warp. While my mom and Phil showed Emmett around, I took my time walking from room to room, trying to figure out what bothered me so about being back here. I hadn't expected to feel this way at all. By the time I returned to the others, they were already in the kitchen eating the dinner we'd picked up on the way home. I washed my hands and joined them.

"Are you two actually on vacation while you're here, or do you have to check in with work?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, I don't want you checking that phone all day every day," Renée said to me with a raised eyebrow.

"We're completely on vacation," Emmett said.

"That's right," I replied. "Tomorrow and Friday, and then the weekend, we're all yours."

"Good," my mom said. "I have plans for you."

"I thought I'd show you around, Emmett," said Phil. "See my businesses, meet my friends. You can see where I hang out when Renée lets me out of the house."

"Sounds good," Emmett replied as we laughed.

At nearly ten, my mom left us alone to get ready for bed. I headed downstairs to my old room in the basement while Phil and Emmett talked and laughed together.

Stepping into my old bedroom filled me with an overwhelming sense of sadness. I walked over to my bookcase and dragged my fingers along the well-worn book spines. I'd spent so much time alone that I'd read every book here countless numbers of times.

As I looked around, a rush of memories flooded through my mind. I thought of all the times I'd barely been able to sleep as I wondered if I'd ever fall in love or have a fulfilling career. I thought of all the nights I'd lain in bed debating whether to go out with Mike Newton or whomever I'd been dating at the time; I really never wanted to, but they were nice to me and I convinced myself that if I didn't go out, I'd spend my life alone here in the basement. That all seemed like it had happened so long ago, when really it was just last year.

The sound of footsteps roused me. I quickly took and released a deep breath in an attempt to pull myself out of my little funk. I wouldn't allow myself to ruin this trip by bemoaning what my life had been like when I lived here. I would focus on all the wonderful things I had now.

"So this is it," Emmett said as he looked around with a smirk. "You were actually telling the truth about living in the basement. This is where it all went down."

"This is actually where nothing went down," I said as he laughed.

He plopped down on the bed, stretched out his legs, and placed his hands behind his head.

"Hmm, this bed is small," he said as he grinned at me. "Looks like we'll be nice and snug."

I climbed onto the full bed and turned on my side to face him. I placed my hand on his stomach and rested my head against his firm chest. The warmth of his body provided instant comfort to me.

"I feel like I'm in _The Twilight Zone_ or something," I said. "It's so bizarre being back here."

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I thought you'd be happy to be back."

"I'm happy because coming back makes my mom happy," I said. "But now that I'm here, it's a little depressing."

"Now you know how I felt when we cleaned out Ma's house," he said. "When I was cleaning the basement, I got fucking depressed, thinking about how I'd spent my whole life down there. I started thinking about what would've happened if I'd never taken the job at ATS and if I'd never met you. I had to get the fuck outta there. It was messing with my head big time."

"Yeah," I said with a sigh. I slid my hand under his shirt and lightly dragged my nails over his stomach.

"You seem really upset," he said quietly as he played with random strands of my hair. "Do you wanna sleep up in the living room?"

"No, I'll be okay," I said. "Don't get me wrong. I have some good memories, but the last few years, I wasn't really happy here. Coming here brought the bad stuff back."

"We can..."

"No, it's fine," I said. "It's not that bad."

"It feels like you in here," he said as he looked around. "It's peaceful. I always feel at peace when I'm with you. I love that."

I pushed back from him so that I could look him in the eye. This seemed like the perfect time to bring up something I'd noticed the past week at home.

"You haven't seemed very at peace this week," I said. "You've been distracted lately. And don't say you haven't been because I know you really well now."

He definitely appeared surprised that I called him out on his behavior, but he remained silent, looked down, and played with the edge of the sheet. I reached up and gently placed my hand against his cheek, stroking lightly with my thumb.

"What's going on?" I asked softly. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"It's nothing bad," he said, finally looking up at me. "I've just been trying to decide about something."

My stomach clenched up in fear. I removed my hand from his cheek and held his hand instead, slowly rubbing my thumb across the back of it.

After staring at me for several moments, he finally talked.

"Basically, I've gotten to the point where I fucking hate my job," he said. "I'm tired of the traveling, I'm tired of the airports, I'm tired of the hotels, I'm tired of selling. I've been in sales since I got out of college. I'm over it. I hate leaving you. I can't keep doing this shit."

He really didn't need to tell me how much he hated that job. I saw it in his face every time he had to pack for a trip. I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips to his, then moved back a little so that I could see his face again.

"There's this job open at work that I think I'd really like," he said hesitantly. "It's in the New Product Development group."

"New product development? You mean like new software?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied. "But that's not all; they come up with all kinds of stuff there. The job sounds really interesting to me because I could actually use my degree. I'd love to do some programming and more technical work. Plus, I have good insights from working in sales. I know our average client. I see the crappy systems they use, and I know what they need and can handle."

"What's the problem then?" I asked. "This sounds perfect for you. Is it out of state?"

My stomach clenched up again as I said the words. We just bought the house; we couldn't move. I signed a contract with ATS to stay until the end of the year, not that I wanted to leave anyway. But I knew I'd go anywhere with him.

"No, it's in Seattle," he said. "The problem is the money."

On the outside, I didn't move a muscle, but on the inside, I had a freaking party. No matter how worried he was, we could work around him making less money.

"You know how much I've made since I've been at Summit-Meyer, what with my commission and base," he said. "The salary range for this job starts at a little less than what I made at ATS. And if I got it, that's probably what they'd offer me because I've never done this type of work before."

"But your salary at ATS wasn't horrible," I said. "You told me you just needed more to help the family and to save up."

"True," he said. "But it's a big step back financially, and that's never good."

I didn't want to argue with him about that even though I disagreed so I asked a different question. "Would there be any chance for advancement in a position like this?"

"Yeah," he said. "There's a few different team leaders. If I got the job, I could try for one of those eventually."

I stared at him and tried to find the words for what I wanted to say. I just didn't see the problem here. I already made more than he did, and I got a big bonus at my review last month. If marketing kept performing as well as it did, I'd probably be in line for more bonuses in the future.

"Before you say money's not a big deal," he said as if reading my mind, "remember that we just got the house. When you agreed to buy a house with me, you had a certain expectation of what my salary would be. It's really not fair for me to take a job that pays that much less."

"I think you should apply it," I said without hesitation. "You should've seen your face when you talked about it; you were excited just thinking about it. I'd take you making less money in a job that you enjoy, over you making more money and being miserable any day. No matter what happens with my job, we'll be fine."

"But we're trying to save up for when we have kids," he said.

"And we will," I said. "It's not like you're telling me you want to quit and not work at all. You'll still be working."

He still looked like he was waiting for me to explode or something, so I held his hand in mine once again.

"For other people, who've had more normal lives, maybe this wouldn't be the right decision," I said. "But you and I have had some rough times in our personal lives. We deserve to be happy and I don't think we can be if you keep your sales job. You go into a funk every time you pull out your suitcase for a trip. It hurts to see you so unhappy."

"People would think I was stupid for taking this kind of paycut," he mumbled.

"The only people you need to worry about are in this bed right now," I said as he finally smiled. "Nobody would know except people you told anyway. This is just not a problem for me."

"You_ really _wouldn't have a problem with it?" he asked as his eyes searched mine.

"I really wouldn't," I said. "And even if you don't get this job, I think you should start looking for others at your company. I know you like working there, and they always seem to have openings."

"I look at every new opening that comes up," he said. "This new product job was the first thing I really felt like I could do and be good at and actually like. I wouldn't mind commuting, no matter how bad the traffic. It would be worth it to cut out the traveling. I'd probably only have to go on two or three trips the whole year."

"You do that in a month now," I said.

"Tell me about it," he replied bitterly.

"Will Dave be angry?" I asked of his boss.

He actually smiled. "Dave says he's surprised I hung around this long," he said. "They have a lot of turnover in sales."

"I want you to apply for that job tomorrow," I said. "At least send an e-mail to the contact person expressing your interest, then maybe you can send a résumé when we get back home."

"I can log in to work and send one," he said. "I'll do it tomorrow morning."

"Awesome," I said as he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly.

"I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted," I said when he released me. "I'm getting changed for bed."

"I'll be right behind you," he said, yawning and rubbing his hand over his face.

I contemplated taking a quick shower, but I was simply too tired. Instead, I brushed my teeth and changed into my nightshirt. When I returned to my bedroom, I found New Business sitting on the edge of the bed watching me.

"See something you like?" I asked as I straddled his lap and grinned at him.

"See something I love," he replied.

"Flattery will usually get you everywhere," I said. "But not tonight. I'm going to sleep."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked as he squeezed my ass and kissed me.

"Very sure," I replied.

"Oh well, I had big plans for you tonight, but I guess I'll save them," he said. "Tomorrow night when I'm all rested up, I'll give you the best sex you ever had in this bed."

"But I never had sex in this bed," I said with a smirk.

"There you go then," he said. "Prepare to be amazed."

"I love you, Mr. Amazing," I said as he laughed.

"I love you too, Madam Bad-Ass," he replied. "Now turn that light off so we can go to sleep. Phil's got all kinds of shit planned for me tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," I replied.

I settled in snugly beside him when I turned out the light, my earlier mood long forgotten. It didn't matter that I'd always been so lonely here. Thanks to the man already light snoring in my bed, I wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

On Thursday morning, Renée and Phil had us up far earlier than either Emmett or I would have liked.

"We're gonna need a damn vacation from this vacation," he muttered to me over breakfast. I nodded in agreement.

Renée kept me out shopping all day, but I truly didn't mind. It felt good spending time alone with her, just talking and catching up with what was going on in _her_ life, not related to my house or Emily or Angie's weddings. When we returned to the house, I wasted no time climbing into bed to take a nap. I'd just woken up when my phone rang.

"Mrs. Cheney! How nice of you to call," I said.

"Sorry if I woke you up," said Angie, "but I need to whine and you're my best friend, so you have to listen."

"Why so cranky, newlywed?" I asked. "Not getting enough sleep? You should talk to Ben about that, not me."

"Oh, shut up," she said testily as I cackled. "I'm cranky because we've only been back at school a week and I'm already pissed off. Every year, these parents get worse and worse. We're not freaking babysitters."

"The problem isn't really school or the parents," I said. "The problem is that your honeymoon was too perfect. You said it yourself. Real life can't compare."

"You might be right about that," she replied with a sigh. "How was your trip? I got your text, but I was already asleep by the time you got in last night."

"The trip was fine," I said. "It's weird being back. I never planned to stay away so long but you know how crazy my year's been."

"I do," she replied. "How's Renée? Last night, I had a dream that she put a leash on you and dragged you around from store to store."

"That's pretty much what she did today," I said as Angie laughed. "She wanted to find the perfect dress for me."

"For what?" she asked.

"She's throwing a big dinner party for my birthday tomorrow," I said. "She invited all her friends and Phil's, a couple of the neighbors, and a few people I used to work with."

"That sounds like fun, but I feel sorry for Emmett," Angie said with a chuckle.

"I do too," I said.

"I wish I was there," she said longingly. "Knowing your mom, it'll be a big production."

"You know it," I replied. "She told Emmett to bring a suit with him; now I see why. Oh, guess what? Our little Renée has decided to become a wedding consultant."

"What?" Angie asked. "That's great."

"I think so too," I said proudly. "I had no idea, but she's really serious about it. She's upstairs with Emmett right now. He's doing a website for her, and Phil already helped her file papers to set up as a real business. She signed up to take a few small business classes at the community college too."

"Tell her she can use my thank you note as a testimonial for the website if she wants," Angie said.

"I will," I said. "Can she list you on the site as a client?"

"Of course," Angie said. "I think she'll do really well. Does she have clients already?"

"Two so far," I said. "Both of the weddings are here, before the end of the year."

"Planning weddings on short notice could be her specialty," Angie said. "She did great with me."

"And with Emily too," I said.

"Speaking of Emily," Angie said, "I talked to our librarian and asked if she could use any volunteer help."

"Are you thinking of a job for Emily?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes," she said. "Since she stopped working at the daycare, and the boys are at my school now, she wants to work there too since it's right up the street."

"That would be perfect," I said.

"Mary and I talked to her, and we're worried about how she'll manage the stress," she said. "There's a lot more kids and staff than at the daycare, and it gets rowdy sometimes."

"Good point," I said. "But if she volunteered like you said, I think that would give her time to get acclimated."

"That's what I was thinking and Mary agreed," Angie said. "The library would be a perfect place to start. She'd mainly be working with Joan, the librarian. If Emily does okay there, we could all keep our eyes and ears open for any jobs that open up that she could do."

"That would be ideal," I said. "What did Joan say?"

"She's excited," Angie said. "She can always use help. She used to have a library aide but that position was cut last year to save money."

"I'm crossing my fingers right now," I said.

"You really don't need to," she said with a chuckle. "Mary already put in a good word with Joan and with the principal. Emily's coming in tomorrow to meet them and so long as she passes the background check, it should be a done deal. They'll just need to work out her volunteer schedule."

"I can't wait to tell Emmett," I said.

"Well before you run off," she said as I laughed, "tell me about Caius. Ben said he's the new marketing director? When did that happen?"

"I haven't told you much about work this summer because you've been so busy with the wedding," I said. "Caius started the new job last Monday. He's Jared and Peter's boss. He manages the whole group and reports to me."

"Why did you make this position?" she asked. "I thought things were going well in your group?"

"They are for the most part," I said. "But I was spending too much time in marketing. Plus, when Carlisle gave me my review last month, he mentioned that he wants me to start writing more."

"But you have a writer," she said. "Ben introduced me to her at the picnic."

"Larissa writes copy for whatever the marketing group needs," I said. "Carlisle wants me to start doing more reports for the whole company. He wants assessments with all the staff every six months now, and those take a lot to write up. He also wants me to do the annual report, and a monthly report, almost like a newsletter."

"He wants a lot doesn't he?" she muttered.

"Oh, yeah," I said with a chuckle. "I'd better go. I hear a lot of noise upstairs. I need to see what's going on."

"What's she have planned for tomorrow?" Angie asked.

"She made hair appointments for both of us," I said.

"There are worse ways to spend a birthday," Angie said. "You'll look nice and perty for the big two-nine."

"I thought I'd be more upset about turning twenty-nine, but I'm not," I said. "I feel like I'm at a good place."

"That makes two of us," Angie said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Upstairs, I found the source of the noise: Arthur and Aida, Renée and Phil's neighbors from across the street, heard about me coming home and were having a cookout in my honor. A few of the other neighbors I knew came as well. I had a great time, though I felt for Emmett who was the center of attention. Nobody would leave him alone, but he took it in stride.

"Thank you for being such a good sport," I said when we returned home. "I don't know why I thought we'd get any rest while we're here."

"You had me thinking that all you did when you lived here was go to work and come home," he said. "I thought you didn't have a friend in the world. All the neighbors love you."

"Well, of course people love me. What's not to love," I said as he laughed. "My mom and I lived here for years, and my grandparents lived here long before that. We know lots of people around here, but I wouldn't call them my friends."

"Are you excited for your party tomorrow?" he asked with a grin.

"I am," I said. "It'll be nice to see everyone again. And I want everyone to meet you."

"Phil gave me a rundown on everyone who'll be there," he said. "He told me to get ready to talk all night. I think I can handle it."

"I'll remember you said that," I said.

"Now, if I recall correctly, I believe I owe you some incredible sex in this bed tonight," he said. "Is that correct?"

"It is," I said, "but I wondered if we could have a slight modification to the original agreement."

"I'll entertain it," he said with a big grin.

"I've never had sex in my bathtub here either," I said. "How about we have our incredible sex there?"

"Hmm. That tub is a decent size and that does sound awfully intriguing," he said. "Modification accepted."

I squealed as he scooped me up and carried me into the bathroom. My nap had clearly energized me as evidenced by the speed with which I removed my clothes while he poured in some body wash and started the water running in the fairly large tub.

I helped him with his clothes when he stood.

"You're so fucking hot," he said, watching me with darkening eyes.

"That makes two of us," I replied as my hands traveled over his muscular physique.

He hadn't finished stepping out of his shorts and briefs when I knelt in front of him and took him into my mouth.

"Shit that's good," he muttered as he braced himself against the counter.

I sucked him none too gently, eager to get him ready. We'd been making eyes at each other all evening at the cookout and I wanted him now. I might've been too tired last night but that was not the case today.

"Clearly, you're feeling better tonight," he said as I caressed his thighs and hummed around him.

I kept going, turning my head at different angles, using my tongue as well as my hands as he moved his hips, groaned, and mumbled. Slowly but surely, he began to harden and just when I tasted the first drops from him, he gingerly pulled away and quickly helped me up.

"On the counter," he growled with a feral look in his eyes.

"The water," I replied as I hopped up on the edge of the counter.

He turned off the water in the tub, then dropped to his knees before me.

"Emmm," I moaned when he spread my legs and kissed and sucked along the insides of my thighs. I leaned back and placed my hands on the counter to keep from falling back against the mirror.

"Oh my god," I said, trying very hard not to yell out, when he turned his attention from my thighs to my center and clit. I moved one hand to his hair, yanking and tugging at it as he worked. I was close, _so close_, when he stopped.

"I want you in the tub," he said huskily before he licked his lips and grinned at me wickedly.

I carefully slid off the counter, desperate for satisfaction, as he climbed into the tub and sank down into it with a long groan. He closed his eyes, leaned his head against the wall, and started stroking himself, the sight of which froze me in my tracks. I had to have him _now. _

There wasn't all that much space left once his large frame filled the tub, so I decided to get in with my back to him. I carefully stepped in and braced my hands on the sides as he guided my hips down, right onto his cock.

"So hot," he hissed, which was actually more words than I could formulate at the moment.

The warmth of the water, the spicy scent of the body wash, and the angle at which we were now joined created quite the combination of sensations within me. I could do nothing but lean back against him which only sent him deeper inside of me.

"Amazing," I moaned as he wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me a little as he thrust upward. We slowly built a rhythm and quickly increased the pace.

"Excellent idea, Madam," he growled into my ear as he thrust beneath me. "We gotta do it like this at home."

I was too busy trying to keep from screaming to wonder why we hadn't as he hit just the right spot over and over and over again while he kissed and licked along my neck and shoulders.

I let go of the tub and gripped Emmett's arm with one hand, using the other to massage my breasts as he held my hips tightly and pumped away inside me. When I leaned forward slightly, I put us at a sudden new angle and New Business clenched up beneath me.

"Fucking hell," he muttered through the spurts of his release as he rested his head against my neck.

I couldn't reply because I was very near the edge myself; I leaned forward and pressed against my clit at a feverish pace. When he slid his hands up and pinched my nipples roughly, I screamed and came, collapsing back against him.

I don't know how long we sat there trying to collect our breath, but the water began to cool rather quickly. New Business kissed my hair, then my neck, before whispering in my ear.

"Happy early birthday," he said.

"Thank you," I replied. "That was some gift."

"I thought you'd like it," he said as we laughed together and very reluctantly dragged ourselves out of the tub.

* * *

Having a birthday on the 13th of a month meant that there were times when that day fell on a Friday, just like today. Sometimes when that happened, I did feel a sense of foreboding or dread, but today, I actually felt pretty upbeat. Perhaps that had a little something to do with last night's bathtub antics.

I was smiling at myself in the mirror at the memory when Renée yelled down the steps.

"Bella! I hope you're almost ready."

"I am," I replied as I headed up the stairs. "No need to yell."

"Abby called," Renée said. "She had a cancellation and she can take us early. Hurry!"

"Happy birthday, Bella," I said sarcastically. "Why thank you, Bella."

"Happy birthday, sweetie," Renée said with a smile. "I was getting to that."

"I have to eat something first," I said as I followed her. "Especially if I'm going to be at the hair salon for who knows how long."

"There's no time," she replied. "We have to..."

"She's gotta eat something, Renée," Emmett said firmly. "I've_ just_ gotten her to eat breakfast in the morning before she leaves for work. I can't let you break the habit."

"Fine, but make it fast," she said tersely. "We have a lot to do today."

"Thank you," I said smugly, grinning widely at New Business as I entered the kitchen.

He grinned back at me, then hugged me and gave me a quick peck on the lips before letting me go.

"Happy birthday," said Phil as I approached the kitchen table.

"Thanks," I replied, wondering why he was grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

I noticed that his eyes drifted over to my suddenly speechless mother. When I turned to her, I saw that her eyes were fixated on the table. She gasped and placed a hand over her mouth.

I looked down to see what had her attention and I gasped too.

At home, New Business always set the table for us at breakfast, and he'd done the same here, placing a bowl for cereal, a spoon, and a glass on one of the placemats.

Only this bowl wasn't empty: a small box sat at the bottom of it. A ring box.

"Have a seat," Emmett said quietly, guiding my elbow when I didn't move.

My eyes began to water and my hand began to shake as I sat down at the kitchen table. With the statements he'd made about marriage in the past, and the amount of responsibility he'd always had in his family, I'd resigned myself to the fact that he might not ever want to get married. So I didn't push. I knew we'd always be together, but I wasn't so sure that we'd ever tie the knot. But I'd wanted it, no matter what I told him. I wanted it badly.

Emmett pulled out a chair from the table and sat directly in front of me. My mom sobbed loudly as he took my hand.

"Bella, I knew you were it for me the second I met you," he said as his eyes burned into mine. "I used to dream about what it would be like to date you, and be with you, and marry you and have kids with you. And that was just the first night."

I tried to laugh, but it came out like a strangled cry.

"But I told myself that you were too good for me, and that I'd never subject somebody good like you to all the shit with my family," he said.

My whole face quivered and twitched as he spoke as I tried not to cry, but the tears fell anyway.

"I couldn't stay away from you," he said as his own eyes watered. "I just couldn't. I had to see you and be around you. I had to talk to you so I could hear your voice and watch you laugh."

I sniffled quite loudly but he kept going.

"So I told myself I wouldn't go after you, and I tried not to," he said. "But for some reason, you liked me too. I've been giving you time, not trying to rush you, but I don't want to wait anymore. I can't."

He let go of my hands and wiped his palms on his jeans before opening the ring box.

"Bella, every day with you has been the best day of my life. I want us to be together always," he said. "Will you marry me?"

I stood from my chair, threw my arms around his neck, and collapsed onto his lap a blubbering, mumbling mess. I'd have felt bad, but I clearly wasn't the only person crying in the room. My mom sounded almost as bad as me.

Emmett held me tightly, rubbing my back and stroking my hair. When I finally calmed down a little, I sat back and gazed into his beautiful, kind eyes, the ones that had hooked me from the very beginning.

"Yes, I'll marry you," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said as he grasped me impossibly tighter in his massive arms and kissed me.

"Your ring," he whispered when we broke apart.

He removed it from the box and placed it on my left ring finger.

Fresh tears flowed down my face as I stared at my hand. The beautiful ring seemed so foreign to me, yet so perfect and so right. The square stone seemed large, but not obnoxiously so, and the band featured an alternating pattern on either side of the stone: on the left was a row of tiny diamonds on top of a layer of platinum band. The right side featured the opposite: a layer of platinum band on top of a row of tiny diamonds.

"I love it," I said as I hugged him again. "This is already the best birthday ever. I love you."

"I love you so much," he whispered. "Thank you."

We kissed more and exchanged silly grins before I remembered we were not alone. I ran over and hugged my mom, who was still crying.

"How did you manage to stay quiet this long?" I asked as she laughed.

"I'm so happy for you, baby," she said while tears fell from her eyes. "He's so good for you."

She released me then, and ran to Emmett and hugged him while Phil stood and embraced me.

"Congratulations," he said with a huge grin. "I'm stoked about this."

"Did you know?" I asked.

"A gentleman never tells," he said as I cracked up laughing.

He walked over and pried my mom off of Emmett, who stood by the counter looking incredibly pleased with himself. I took a napkin from the holder and wiped my face. I noticed the clock on the microwave and remembered that my mom wanted to get going. But I didn't want to leave. I wanted to be with this perfect man who'd loved me from the beginning and made me feel so special.

"I don't want to go," I said. "I'm staying..."

"Oh no," New Business said with a chuckle. "Renée's got big plans for you today and I'm not getting on her shit list. Do whatever you two had planned. We have forever to be together, right?"

"Right," I croaked as I started crying all over again.

He prepared a bowl of cereal and poured a glass of orange juice for me while I collected myself. I honestly lost my appetite in the excitement, but I felt shaky and unsettled by the shock of it all and definitely needed to put something on my stomach in an attempt to settle down.

Renée kept a tight hold of my left hand as I ate; she examined the ring carefully and grilled Emmett on the specifics of it. I eagerly listened in, happy for these details which I'd undoubtedly be quizzed on by Angie, Alice, Logan, Gianna, and even Rose when we got back to Seattle.

"That looks bigger than two carats," my mom said, "but I suppose it's the princess cut. It's beautiful."

"I felt like it fit her personality too," Emmett said. "I like how the sides of the ring are; it's different. I thought so anyway."

This comment caused me to look down at my hand, and he was right. The ring did feel like me, like something I would have chosen for myself. He clearly put a lot of thought into this. Into me, and into us.

I finished eating and they somehow managed to get me into the car. Dazed as I was, I didn't remember getting into it, saying goodbye to Emmett, or fastening my seatbelt, but I must have because we were on our way to the salon.

"Were you expecting this today?" Renée asked.

"I wasn't, at all," I said. "That's why I'm so shaken up. It totally caught me off guard. I wasn't sure when he wanted to get married."

"Phil's going to pay for not telling me about this," she said angrily. "I would've kept it a secret."

"Yeah, _no_, you wouldn't have," I said as we laughed.

"I wonder if Charlie knows?" she asked.

"Only one way to find out," I said as I took out my cell phone and called my dad.

"Happy birthday, kiddo," he said. "I forgot you were going to your mom's so I sent your card to your place. It'll be there when you get back."

"No problem," I said. "Guess what?"

"Let me think," he said sarcastically. "Emmett proposed."

"So you did know," I said with a grin, not that he could see me.

"He talked to me about it when I visited for Angie's wedding," Charlie said. "He told me he wanted to do it before the year was out, but he wasn't sure when."

"Did he ask you for my hand in marriage?" I asked, laughing.

"Knowing Emmett, he probably did," Renée muttered.

"Not exactly," Charlie said. "But he did ask if I'd be okay with it and I told him I'm more than okay with it. I couldn't have picked someone more perfect for you. I'm happy for you, Bella. I really am."

"Thanks, dad," I said as my eyes watered again. "I love you."

"Love you too," he said. "Say hi to your mom. Oh, and send us a picture of the ring. I know Sue's gonna ask me when I tell her."

"I will," I said as we ended the call.

"He says Emmett talked to him, but he didn't say when he'd propose," I said to my eager mother.

"I'll give it to your man, he really pulled this off," Renée said.

I nodded as I searched my purse for a tissue. When I caught sight of the ring on my hand, the waterworks started yet again. I dabbed at my eyes as Renée kept talking.

"I don't want to make this about me," she said, "but he couldn't have timed this any better. All my friends will be at the party, and everyone can find out tonight and meet Emmett at the same time. It's perfect. I bet I could find someone to take engagement pictures tomorrow, while you're still here. I'll see if Carla's available. Did I tell you she does photography now?"

For the rest of the short distance to the hair salon, she rambled on about the party, the ring, and the possible pictures. I had to think that my mom was right: Emmett probably did plan it this way. He had to know how much this would mean to my mother, even if our engagement had nothing to do with her. I truly loved that man.

"I can't wait to meet this guy tonight at the party," said Abby, my mom's hair stylist, when we reached the salon. "That ring is to die for."

She questioned me about New Business the entire time she worked on our hair. My mother went so far as to call Marti and Lisa, her best friends, down to join us so that they could see the ring before everyone else saw it tonight. My news was the talk of the day, and not only in the sleek salon.

While Abby worked on my mom's hair, I made a few more calls. I knew Angie would be teaching but I called anyway and left a message on her phone before I called the others.

"...so... happy," said Maggie through her tears.

"Ha, ha, I knew it," yelled Gianna. "Congratulations, bitch! We're sisters for real now."

"I'm telling_ ev-ery-bo-dy_," said Alice with glee.

After talking to those three, I decided I'd better warn Emmett.

"Um, you may be getting a lot of calls today," I said.

"Who'd you tell?" he asked with a smile in his voice.

"Just your mom, Angie, Gianna, and Alice," I said as he guffawed.

"Is that all?" he remarked. "It's no problem. I told Liam and Emily and they're really happy too. Phil says your mom probably re-enacted the whole proposal at the hairdresser."

"She pretty much did," I said as he howled with laughter. I heard Phil say something in the background.

My phone rang almost nonstop the rest of the morning. I wanted to let all the calls go to voicemail, but I knew I'd have to face everyone eventually, so I took the calls but kept them very brief. By the time we left the salon, I'd received calls from Jasper, Logan, Caius, Rose, Jake, Jared, Peter, and Randall from work. Angie called on her lunch break, shrieking like a wild woman. Sue called too, which annoyed Renée to no end. Emily and Mary also called me, but it was Harry who almost brought me to tears again.

"You just don't understand the change you've brought to the family," he said. "Maggie's like a whole new woman, and Emmett, Liam, and Emily are like different people compared to when I first met them. It's all because of you. Congratulations. I wish you and Emmett every happiness."

* * *

"You don't have to still wear that ring," Emmett said. He stared at my right hand, on which I now wore the 'I love you' ring he'd given me earlier in the year.

"I love my 'I love you' ring," I replied as he laughed. "It stays."

"Your call," he said as he looked me over. "We look pretty damn good if I do say so myself."

"You tell no lies, sir," I replied as I straightened his tie.

Clearly, Renée felt the same way; she squealed when we walked upstairs.

"You two look perfect," she said as her sharp eyes perused every detail of our outfits. "Carla's coming to take some pictures tonight too. I can't _wait_."

"Let's go then," Phil said. "I'm starving."

Nearly forty people came to my birthday dinner, which was held in a private room at Renée and Phil's favorite restaurant. The food was set up buffet style and the drink flowed freely so we were able to talk and mingle at our leisure. I truly had a great time catching up with everyone.

"Bella, I hardly recognize you," said Nancy, my old boss from the funeral home. "Seattle definitely agrees with you."

"Thanks, I think," I said as she laughed.

"We miss you so much," she said. "Your replacement's okay, but she's just not you. And I don't have anybody to do my web stuff now. I talked to someone about doing some updates but you wouldn't believe how much money they wanted."

"That's exactly what my company does," I said. "We help businesses, big and small, improve their websites and online presence. It can make a real difference. Depending on the level of service you wanted, I think we could help you at a very reasonable rate. We can set it up however you want. You could do a one-time service, just to update your website once, or we can do that and provide ongoing maintenance that you pay for on a monthly basis."

Nancy shocked me by being very interested. I didn't want to give her an exact price quote, but I'd written and reviewed enough materials on the sales team to know the rates and I gave her a ballpark estimate.

"Call me as soon as you get back to work Monday," Nancy said. "There's a new guy in town and he's really cut into our business. I'm desperate for whatever help I can get."

"I will," I said. I was already thinking of which sales rep I'd put her in touch with.

"Very nice sales pitch," said New Business when Nancy walked away.

"I've learned from the best," I said as he grinned. "Edward's really good at..."

"Get the fuck outta here," he said as I cackled. "You learned your sales technique from me, and don't forget it."

"Have you had a chance to eat yet?" I asked when we stopped laughing.

"No," he said. "That's why I came to get you. I figure if we go to the buffet together, people might leave us alone long enough to get our plates."

That strategy worked and we got our food and sat down at our table of honor at the front of the room.

"I was nervous about coming here and meeting all your mom's friends," Emmett said. "But it's been great."

"Everybody loves you," I said.

"Here," he said. "It wasn't like that in Forks with all your dad's cop friends."

Unfortunately, Renée chose just that moment to join us at the table.

"That's because they're a bunch of bumblefuck..."

"Mom," I yelled as she and Emmett cracked up laughing.

"You'll get used to this, Emmett," she said. "You can't say anything bad about Saint Charlie around Bella. They're just alike. Two peas in a pod. They've always been like that, and it really gets on my nerves."

"Well, now you have me, and maybe you and I will talk shit about them," New Business said.

"You're going to be the best son-in-law _ever_," she said as they laughed together.

I rolled my eyes at them and kept eating as they talked. We were soon joined by Marti and Lisa with the questions I'd been waiting for.

"When can we expect our wedding invitations?" Marti asked.

"Are you getting married here or in Seattle?" asked Lisa.

To my great surprise, my mom shut them down before we had time to say anything.

"Leave them alone," Renée said firmly. "It'll happen when they're ready, and you two will know as soon as I do."

Emmett and I looked at each other with matching grins. When we first started dating, Renée had been the one pressing for marriage. How times had changed.

Near the end of the evening, a waiter brought in a huge birthday cake. Everyone sang to me, and after we ate cake, I opened a surprising number of gifts. Soon thereafter, people started to leave and I was hugged and kissed so many times that I lost count.

"Thank you," I said as I hugged my mom after we returned home. "That was great. I didn't realize how much I missed everybody."

"They'll be talking about this all week," she said. "I'm glad you had a good time. You've had quite a day."

With final hugs to Phil and my mom, New Business and I headed downstairs.

"I have one more gift for you," he said after I changed clothes and climbed into bed.

I wriggled my eyes at him and he laughed.

"Besides that," he said as he handed me an envelope.

Inside was a birthday card, but that clearly wasn't what he wanted me to see. He'd placed a folded piece of paper inside of it. I opened it and grinned widely. It was a copy of the e-mail he'd sent to apply for the new job in product development.

For the umpteenth time today, I hugged him.

"I completely forgot to ask you about this yesterday," I said.

"We've been busy here, I understood," he said. "I told Phil about the job and he's all for it."

"I just don't know how this birthday could get any better," I said as I shook my head in disbelief at what an incredible day I'd had.

"Hmm, I can think of a way," said New Business as he wriggled his eyebrows at _me._

* * *

My mother did indeed hire her friend Carla to take engagement pictures of us and that's what we did Saturday afternoon. Emmett and I laughed all the way through the ridiculously staged photos but Renée loved the shots and Carla was very professional, so we went along with it.

The weekend passed quickly and all too soon we were parting ways at the airport on Sunday, with promises to return for Christmas.

At work on Monday, instead of heading straight for my office, I went to Heidi's instead. I wanted to ask her which sales rep I could ask to work with Nancy.

"Would you mind if I worked with her?" Heidi asked.

"Not at all," I said. "You're the best rep here. It's not going to be a very big account though."

"That's perfect actually," she said. "I wouldn't have time for a large account. But since I've been the team lead and trainer, I don't get to sell much anymore, and I miss the interaction with the clients."

"I may be out of line here, but I don't care," I said as Heidi laughed. "Any discount you could give Nancy would be greatly appreciated."

"Understood," she said with a chuckle.

I told her I'd e-mail her Nancy's information and the link to the funeral home's website. Then, unsurprisingly, Heidi turned her attention to my engagement ring.

"I knew you two would end up together," she said. "Emmett had it so bad for you. I used to tease him all the time."

She proceeded to regale me with stories about times she'd caught him watching me or seen us together. I laughed hysterically after each one. I spent almost an hour in Heidi's office and by the time I got to my own, my whole team had arrived for work. Caius, Alice, Logan, Jasper, and Randall stood in the hall outside of Alice's office and marched toward me when they saw me.

"Who had Bella's birthday in the engagement pool?" yelled Alice as the others collapsed into fits of laughter.

"That would be me," said Caius. "Pay up."

"I'll pay after I see that ring," Logan said as they surrounded me.

A similar scene happened in the exec team meeting, where Edward was the winner.

"It's a little disturbing that my personal life has been so widely discussed," I said as they continued to laugh and chatter around me.

"Bella, it was only a matter of time before Emmett proposed," Jake said. "The only surprise to me is that he waited this long."

"Are we invited to the wedding?" Carlisle asked. "You wouldn't know each other if it wasn't for ATS."

"If you had your way, I wouldn't have been working here long enough to get to know Emmett at all," I said.

"That's in the past," Rose said as they laughed. "I'm telling you right now, if I don't get invited to the wedding, I'm going to be_ very _upset."

"You're almost one of the family now," Edward said. "We might be difficult to deal with here in the office if you don't invite us."

"You mean more difficult than you already are?" I asked as they continued to laugh.

Over the course of the day, I got very little work done as person after person stopped me in the hallway or came by my office to see the ring and congratulate me. Even though there were many new people now, there were still a good number of people who'd worked for ATS when Emmett was here.

"See, I leave a lasting impression," he said when I called him to tell him about my day.

"I can attest to that," I said as he laughed. "I know it's early, but have you heard anything about the job?"

"Phyllis, the head of the team, called and did a phone interview around lunchtime," he replied. "She said I didn't have as much technical experience as they usually require, but she agreed that my sales background would bring good insight to the team. She wants me to come in for a real interview."

"That sounds great," I said excitedly. "When?"

"Don't know yet," he replied. "She said she has to coordinate times with the team leads but I should hear from her by the end of the month."

"I'm excited and frustrated at the same time," I said as he laughed. "Did you talk to Dave?"

"I called him on Thursday to let him know I was applying for it," he said. "I went in and met with him this morning too. He says he appreciates me sticking with the team for almost a year when he knows I had other opportunities."

"So now, I guess we wait," I said.

"Nothing else we can do," he replied. "I'll see you tonight."

We only had to wait a week before Emmett was scheduled for his interview. I was almost more nervous than he was the day he went for it.

"I feel like it went well," he said that night at home. "I met with Phyllis and all the team leads. I was there almost three hours."

"They must be interested if they met with you for that long," I said hopefully.

"I guess," he said. "We'll see. Now, I have to pack for Montana."

New Business followed up a few times, but we heard nothing else about the job for the next few weeks and the both of us were pretty bummed. We knew we had to give it time, but that was easier said than done.

Not wanting the entire family nagging us, we didn't tell them about the job at all, but they picked up on our downcast demeanors, though we tried our best to hide our nerves and disappointment. Thankfully, we both had intense jobs and we chalked our melancholy up to work stress, which our family and friends easily bought.

As time passed with still no word, only one thing lifted our spirits: it was almost time for our vacation together.

**~ * NBG * ~**

**Friday, October 18, 2013 3:45 PM  
To:** ATS (All)  
**CC: ** Carlisle Cullen, Alice Brandon, Logan Messera  
**Subject: **Out of the Office, 10/21 - 10/25

I will be out of the office from Monday, October 21 through Friday, October 25 on vacation. I will not be checking e-mail or phone messages during that time.

Alice will be out of the office as well; we will return on Monday, October 28.

For any issues related to ATS daily operations next week, please contact Logan at extension 1033.

For any other matters that require immediate attention, please contact Carlisle at extension 1101.

Have a wonderful week!

**Bella Swan, Chief Operations Officer**  
_Aro Technology Solutions_

**~ * NBG * ~**

Jasper would also be on vacation next week but he'd already sent an e-mail with instructions for HR procedures while he was out of the office. He and Alice sat in my office now, and the three of us were so excited we were practically giggling.

"I'm not sure Houston is ready for Alice," I said as they fell out laughing.

"Ready or not, I'm coming," she replied.

"I haven't been home in so long," Jasper said. "I really can't wait. The whole family's excited about meeting Alice."

"Is this the first time you're taking vacations since you've been here?" I asked.

"This is the first time either one of us is taking a whole week," Alice said. "We usually just do a few days here or there."

"I've never felt comfortable leaving," Jasper said. "With the idiots we had around here before, if I hadn't been here, people might not have gotten their paychecks."

"Caius was always_ so _busy and he just didn't think he'd manage if I was gone a whole week," said Alice as she rolled her eyes.

"Then I'd say this vacation is long overdue," I said. "This will be my first real vacation. In any free time I had, I always visited my dad or Angie back in Forks. I never went on a real just-to-have-fun vacation before."

"So you still don't know where you're going?" Alice asked.

"It's a surprise," I said.

"Aren't you curious?" she asked. "I'm dying to know."

"I'm sure you are," I said as she laughed. "I am curious, but I'm just more excited that we'll have a week alone together."

"I know where you're going and I can't wait to hear your reaction," Jasper said with a grin.

"I know it's somewhere cold, but not too cold, because he looked through all my jackets and coats and told me I needed something in between what I had, so I had to buy a new one," I said.

"You have to tell me the second you find out," said Alice.

"I will. When are you two leaving?" I asked.

"Tonight," Jasper said. "We actually came down to see if we can cut out a little early."

"Yes, you can," I replied. "You've left good instructions for HR, and Alice, you've given me your status report. Have a great trip. I know we'll talk soon."

When they left, I tidied up my office and sent my final round of e-mails to Carlisle and my team. Finally, just as I was about to e-mail them, Ben and Gianna showed up at my door, jackets on and ready to go.

I grabbed my purse and jacket and joined them in the hall.

"I'm kind of excited," I said.

"It's just dinner," Gianna said with a chuckle.

"I'm with Bella," said Ben. "I think something's up."

Emily and Brett invited the whole family, plus Angie and Ben, to their house for dinner tonight. Ben volunteered to drive me and Gianna straight there after work.

Caius, Carlisle, and Rose were standing in the lobby, huddled together talking, as we made our way to the elevator. They tried to waylay me when I passed, but I just waved goodbye.

"See you all on the 28th," I said sweetly as they laughed and waved back at me.

We were the last to arrive and the house seemed jam-packed once we settled in with the others: Emily, Brett, and the boys; Liam and Kim; Maggie and Harry; Mary and Waylon; and Angie and New Business.

"Let's eat, I'm hungry," yelled Austin as we all laughed.

We didn't often have time to _all_ get together like this anymore, so we talked nonstop as we ate dinner. Still, Emmett and I suspected there was a reason for this gathering; that was confirmed when Emily and Brett told the kids they could watch some movie and eat their dessert up in Henry's room. Once Austin, Kim, and Henry were safely upstairs, Emily and Brett stood up as the rest of us ate dessert.

"Told you," Emmett whispered. "I bet she's knocked up."

I nodded, unable to think of another reason for bringing us all together like this.

"You probably figured out that we have some big news," Brett said nervously.

"And we do," said Emily in her quiet voice. "Tim finally agreed to terminate his parental rights to the boys. That means it's official: Brett's adopted Austin and Henry."

I think I actually screamed as everyone talked all over themselves. This was major news. Emmett had explained all of this to me months ago. Basically, if Tim agreed to terminate his parental rights, then the adoption process would be infinitely more simple. But at first, they hadn't even known where he was. When he did show up, he refused to agree to such a drastic measure.

"There's still some steps to go through," Brett said, "but this was the biggest hurdle by far. We wanted to tell you all together."

"Have you told the boys?" I asked.

"We told them that the judge decided that Tim couldn't see them again," Emily said. "When they're both a little older, we'll tell them more. Henry's very mature for his age and he's handled it all well, but 'termination of rights' sounds so harsh, I didn't want to dump that on him."

"How did Henry take it?" Emmett asked.

"He's relieved," Brett said. "Really relieved."

"So Tim won't ever be around again?" Maggie asked.

"No," Emily said. "At least legally, he's supposed to stay away."

"I wonder what made him agree now?" Angie mused aloud.

"He says that he realizes he has nothing to offer the boys, and doesn't know when he will," Emily replied. "He said that he can see how Brett cares for us, and he doesn't want to make things any harder for Henry. I don't think he'll ever acknowledge Austin."

"But he still has to pay child support, doesn't he?" Harry asked.

"He's supposed to," Brett said. "We don't expect to see more than the little bit he's paid since June. He's not working again from our understanding. His girlfriend is supporting him and he's going to school right now."

"I hope he gets his life together one day," Waylon said. "It sounds like he could go either way, especially if he can't beat the drug habit."

"That's what I'm hoping for too," Emily said. "However I feel about how things ended with us, he gave me Austin and Henry. I'll always be grateful for that."

"This is not the news we were expecting," New Business said with a chuckle. "We thought you were gonna tell us you were pregnant."

"Fooled us," I said, laughing along with Emmett. "But this is still great news."

However, we quickly shut up as everyone gave us looks that ranged from confused to sad. My stomach tightened and I felt absolutely horrible. From the looks around the room, everyone else knew something that we didn't. Something bad.

"We're sorry," I said quickly. "We didn't mean to be insensitive."

"Yeah," Emmett said. "I didn't mean any harm. I'm really sorry."

"Um, you didn't offend any of us," Angie said carefully. "We're just surprised to hear you joking about something like that, considering..."

New Business and I looked at each other with confused expressions of our own.

"Considering what?" I asked Angie.

"Well, since you two got back from Phoenix, you've been so distant," she said. "Sad even."

"We all noticed," said Gianna. "None of us could get you to talk about it, so we thought it must be something very personal."

"At first we thought you were upset with each other," Emily said. "But we realized that wasn't it."

"I even called Renée to see if something had happened while you were with her," Angie said. "She told me you had a great time while you were there."

"We figured out what happened, and we thought you just didn't want to talk about it," Maggie said. "Some couples don't."

"It happened to me," said Mary. "I had several before Brett. I'm glad you're both handling it so well. You'll get through it."

Emmett looked thoroughly confused, but I figured out what they meant.

"They thought we had a miscarriage," I said to him. "They thought that's what had us so down lately."

The lack of response from anyone confirmed what I'd said.

"Why would you think that?" Emmett asked, still looking confused as he looked around the room.

"You two are always the ones telling us to be open about everything," Liam said. "Especially after what happened in Forks. You've been acting all depressed lately, so we figured it had to be pretty bad for you not to tell us."

Emmett and I looked at each other and grimaced. Liam was right. We hadn't practiced what we preached and the whole family had thought the worst. Because they knew us as well as we knew them, and they knew _something_ was going on with us.

"We appreciate that you were all concerned about us, and we're sorry we had you so worried," I said. "But that's not what we were upset about. I've never been pregnant."

"Then what happened?" asked Emily. "You haven't been acting like yourselves at all lately."

I looked to Emmett; it was his news to tell if he wanted to.

"This is all my fault," he said. "We've been distracted because we've been on pins and needles waiting to hear about a new job I applied for."

Looks were exchanged around the table and everyone looked surprised, except for Henry, who'd just reappeared with the kids' empty dessert dishes. Of course, Kim and Austin were right behind him.

"You promised us you'd look for a new job where you didn't have to be gone so much," Henry said, recalling a conversation from earlier in the year. I believed it happened when we'd watched the kids for New Year's Eve.

"I have been, buddy," Emmett said. "I found a job, at my company, that I really _really _wanted."

"What happened?" Kim asked. "Why didn't you get it? You're great at your jobs."

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "I don't know if I've gotten or not. It's been over a month since I applied and, almost a month since I interviewed, and I haven't heard anything. I've kept in touch but they say they haven't made any decisions yet."

"We didn't want to say anything because we didn't want to get everybody's hopes up," I said.

"The traveling and the selling are really wearing on me," Emmett said with a sigh. "I can't keep doing it much longer."

"We could tell that too," Gianna said.

Maggie looked about ready to pop if she didn't say something, but she was clearly determined not to.

"What's wrong, Maggie?" I asked. "Just say it."

"I wish he'd just quit that job," she shouted. Her face went from red to pink when she finally got that off of her chest.

"I know he makes good money," she said, "and I know he's supported us when we didn't have two nickels to rub together. I'm thankful for everything he's done for us. But he has you now, Bella, and you make good money too. I wish he'd stop pushing himself so hard. I just want him happy."

Emmett walked over and knelt down in front of his mother. She put her arms around his neck and sobbed.

"This is why I didn't say anything, Ma," he said as he rubbed her back. "I know you worry about me flying and traveling so much, especially after I got so sick back in January. I didn't want you to get your hopes up. I might not get this job."

"I do worry," she said. "All the time."

"It's just not in me to quit until I have another job," he said. "I learned that from dad. But I promise you that even if I don't get this job I'll find something else soon."

"Thank you," she said.

I looked around the table and everyone was watching mother and son sadly, except for Gianna, who was staring at me. She raised her eyebrows in a hopeful expression and mouthed, "ATS?"

I mouthed back, "Hell no," and we both had to stifle our laughter. Sales was still the most unstable group at ATS, and whether we were hiring or not, we could always use good sales reps. However, Emmett had told me many _many_ times in no uncertain terms that he would never go back to ATS, so I respected that. But I knew, like Gianna did, that he could walk in on Monday and be hired on the spot; everyone, including Edward, would welcome him with open arms.

Maggie and Emmett whispered together a bit more until he returned to his seat.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's the job you applied for Emmett?" Ben asked.

"It's called a New Product Developer," he replied as he explained the job to everyone.

"And it's at the branch right up the street from here," he said when he was done.

"Oh, Em," said Emily as she shook her head. "No wonder you've been so wound up about it. That would be perfect."

"Wait, is it in that office park right by Target?" Angie asked.

"Yup," Emmett said bitterly as everyone groaned and whispered.

"You could come have lunch with us some days," Mary said as she patted Emmett's hand. "It's that close."

"It doesn't sound like they've said 'no'," Brett said. "I wouldn't give up just yet."

"That's what I was thinking," Harry said. "It took months for me to find out whether I got my last promotion when I was still with the force."

"We just can't worry about it anymore," I said. "We're excited about our trip and when we get back, Emmett can start looking again. Whatever job he's meant to have, he'll get."

"In the meantime, we'll pray about it," Waylon said.

With the air cleared, conversation took a more light-hearted tone and we stayed and talked for a few more hours. Emmett and I were first to leave; we apparently had an early flight to catch.

"Hey, everybody," he yelled as we put on our jackets. "While we're on vacation, don't call us, we'll call you."

They were all still laughing as they hugged us and said their goodbyes. Gianna followed me outside while Maggie and Mary cornered Emmett.

"I'll miss you," she said.

"I'll miss you too," I said. "But we'll come back refreshed and with better attitudes. You'll see."

I thought she'd laugh, but she just nodded and dropped her head.

"You're not seriously crying are you?" I asked as she wiped her face.

"I'm sorry," she said, sniffling. "It just kind of hit me that you won't be around next week. I know you have Angie, but you're my best friend. I know I never said that, but you are. You've done so much for me, Kim, and Liam."

"You mean the world to me too," I said. "You were my first ally in the family. We've been through a lot together. But please, pull yourself together. If you don't let me leave, I _will_ hurt you."

"Smart ass," she said as she gave me a quick hug. "Have a great time. But make sure you come back."

Not to be outdone, Angie walked up next.

"I'm happy you've taken off your martyr hat long enough to take a vacation," she said as I cackled.

"I'm so ready for this. You don't even know," I said.

"Listen, I just wanted to say that I'm happy we were wrong about... you know," she said. "I was a little hurt that you didn't tell me, but I understood."

"First of all, there was nothing to tell," I said. "I don't know how I'd react if something like that happened, but I'm pretty sure I'd need to talk to somebody about it. You're my best friend; I don't think I could keep anything from you if I tried."

"Well, you kept this new job deal with Emmett from me," she said as I smiled.

"We really didn't think we'd been acting so differently," I said.

"You and Emmett are always cracking jokes and being the voices of reason," she said. "You two have just been out of it since you got back from Phoenix. Ben even talked to Alice and Jasper, but they said you always hole up in your office at work, so they didn't think you were acting any differently. Gianna said that too, but somebody suggested the miscarriage and everybody went along with it."

"I'm sorry you were so worried," I said. "I've been trying to keep his spirits up. He wants that job _bad_, Angie. But he might not have enough experience. I kind of feel like Maggie at this point. He's miserable doing sales. If this doesn't work out, I'm going to really stay on him about finding something else."

"I'm a preacher's kid, so maybe I have some extra pull with the big guy upstairs," she said as I laughed. "I promise I'll say a few extra prayers."

"Thank you," I said as I hugged her goodbye.

"Enjoy your trip," she said. "You deserve it."

Finally, New Business emerged from the house; he practically jumped into the car.

"Let's go before anybody else stops us," he said.

"Amen to that," I said. "There's a vacation waiting with our name on it."

* * *

"Jackson Hole, Wyoming?" said Alice with disdain when I called her from our hotel. I could hear Jasper laughing in the background.

"That was my reaction when we left the airport in Seattle," I said, "but you should've seen my face when we pulled up in front of the resort. It's beautiful."

New Business, who was lying beside me on the bed, chuckled as he watched me.

"Why did he pick there?" she asked.

"Wyoming is in his sales region," I said. "He told me he came to this resort for a conference once and wanted to bring me here. It's amazing, Alice. I'm seriously in shock."

"As long as you're happy," she said, clearly unconvinced.

"How's Houston?" I asked.

"Busy and warmer than I expected considering it's October," she said. "But we're having a great time. I need to go; we're about to have dinner, but thanks for calling. Enjoy your trip."

"You too," I replied.

"You called your mom, and mine, Angie, and Alice," he said as he grinned at me. "Anybody else, or can we go to dinner?"

"Gianna and Charlie, then we can go," I said as I leaned down and kissed him.

Except for Charlie, who appreciated the beauty of nature, everyone else's reaction had been just like Alice's. No one could believe that Emmett had brought me here, a town completely unfamiliar to all of us. Like I said to Alice, I could barely hide my disappointment in the airport, but that all changed after we arrived and pulled up to the stunning resort that would be our vacation home until Friday.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that a city with the word "hole" in its name could be so incredibly naturally beautiful. Put simply, there was nature everywhere I looked: mountains, valleys, trees, canyons, rivers, and so much more. The wood and stone decor of the resort fit right into the theme, yet it had clearly been updated with the latest amenities. Our suite even had two fireplaces: one in the bedroom and one in the living room. Wordsmith that I considered myself to be, I could find no words to adequately describe the view from our balcony. I was in awe of this place and of the man who brought me here.

"I felt the same way the first time I came here," Emmett said on the way to the resort. "I knew you'd love it."

Once I made my last two phone calls, we showered and changed for dinner, which we had by candlelight in one of the resort's restaurants.

"You have permission to pick all vacations from now on," I said to New Business.

I was rewarded with a flash of dimples. For the rest of Saturday and all day Sunday, we didn't leave the resort grounds. If we weren't in our room resting, relaxing, and showing our thanks to each other horizontally for taking our first vacation together, we were taking breaks to eat meals or tour the beautiful area surrounding the hotel. Unsurprisingly, a few of the staffers remembered Emmett: he was a big, handsome guy; as he once said, he left a lasting impression.

On Sunday night, after having massages in the spa and dinner in a different restaurant, we planned out our week.

"Okay, we didn't come all the way here just to stay in the hotel the whole time," New Business said as he spread a bunch of brochures in front of me. "Let's decide what to do so we can make some reservations."

We decided to take the rental car and simply ride around town on Monday.

"We can sightsee, and stop wherever we feel like," he said.

Tuesday, we'd go to Yellowstone National Park. Wednesday, we'd go fly fishing with a guide.

"I think Charlie's taught me enough about fishing to where I can hold my own," Emmett said, though without much conviction.

Thursday, we'd do wildlife expedition in the Grand Teton National Park.

"I'm only agreeing to that because we'll be in a Jeep most of the time," I said warily. "I can appreciate nature, but animals not so much."

Friday, our last day, we'd do whatever we felt like.

"We'll probably be crying all day that we have to fucking leave," New Business said as I laughed.

"When we finish crying, we can make sure we have souvenirs for everyone," I said. "You know we can't go back empty-handed."

The week progressed and we had a great time, just being together, laughing, talking, and_ not_ working as we took in our surroundings.

After the highly entertaining fishing trip on Wednesday, I decided to call Charlie while New Business took a shower.

"Guess who kicked Emmett's ass at fly fishing today?" I sang when he answered the phone.

"That's my girl," Charlie said as we cracked up laughing. "What'd you catch?"

"Something called cutthroat trout," I replied.

"Yeah, I need to go there," he said as I laughed.

"Dad, you and Sue would_ love_ it here," I said. "There's a bunch of tribes in the area, so there's a lot of Indian art all around. It's really beautiful."

"We checked out the resort online after you kept going on about it," he said. "It looks great. Done any sightseeing?"

"Have we," I replied. "We went to Yellowstone, we toured Jackson Hole, and tomorrow, we're doing a wildlife expedition. We're having the best time."

"I can hear it in your voice," he said. "Enjoy the rest of trip, and keep the pictures coming."

"Will do," I said as I chuckled. "I love you."

Emmett's phone started ringing right before I ended the call with Charlie. I decided to answer it because everyone knew we were on vacation, so I figured it had to be an emergency.

However, the number that flashed wasn't one that I recognized, even though it did have a Seattle area code.

"Hello? This is Emmett's phone," I said. "Can I help you?"

"Hello, Emmett's phone," said a woman as she chuckled. "I'm Phyllis Rice with Summit-Meyer. I take it Emmett's unavailable?"

_Holy shit._ Phyllis was the head of the New Product Development team.

"I can get him," I said, trying to contain my excitement. "One second, please."

I hauled ass to the bathroom where New Business stood toweling himself off.

"Your phone rang and I thought it was an emergency with the family so I answered it but it's Phyllis," I gushed.

His eyes bugged as he dropped the towel and ran by me, stark naked, and grabbed the phone which I'd left on the bed.

"Hi, Phyllis?" he said. "Oh, no problem. How are you?"

Without one ounce of shame, I sat directly in front of him, cross-legged on the bed and listened to his side of the conversation.

"Thanks for letting me know," he said. "I enjoyed meeting with you anyway."

Only because I knew him so well could I detect the hint of sadness in his voice.

Who the fuck would call somebody on vacation to tell them they _didn't _get a job? I had a mind to find that bitch and beat the ...

"Really?" he asked, clearly surprised. "I'd definitely be interested. You don't think the team would have a problem with that?"

Wait... was she offering him another job? We stared at each other as I attempted to try my hand at mind-reading. I failed dismally.

"He said that? Wow, I appreciate it. Dave's great. I enjoyed working with him," he said.

I crossed my arms over my chest and rocked myself back and forth. Why couldn't he have put her on speaker so I could listen?

"That sounds... incredible," he said as his eyes glazed over. "Thank you."

_Oh. My. Gawd. _If a person could explode from curiosity, I was about to.

"Oh, that was my fiancée," he said with a huge grin. "With this news, she won't mind that you called."

I jumped up and started pacing the floor. He got the fucking job. Wow wow _wow._

"Jackson Hole, Wyoming," he said. "We're loving it."

_Nosey ass. _She could hear about his vacation when he got back to work. I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him, causing him to laugh silently.

"Okay," he said. "Ten on Monday, I'll be there. Thanks, Phyllis. I look forward to working with you."

I screamed and jumped on top of him, and we yelled and rolled around together on the bed.

"You got the job," I shouted. "Congratulations!"

"I actually didn't get the developer job," he said with a dazed expression.

"What?" I asked as I sat up, straddling his lap.

"She hired someone else for it," he said. "She felt the person was better suited than me."

"But..."

"But the New Product team is broken up into six groups," he said with a blinding grin. "She's been trying to find new team leaders for two of the groups."

"Oh my god, you?" I yelled.

"Fuck yeah," he shouted back as he rolled me over and kissed me wildly.

As good as it felt to be in his arms, and despite the fact that he was nude and quickly hardening against my leg, I would not be distracted until I had all the details.

"But if you can't be developer how can you lead the team?" I asked.

"Phyllis said she has a hard time keeping team leads in her group," he said giddily, "because some of the developers can be hard to manage."

"You know, that actually makes sense," I said. "Think about the I.T. group at ATS. James and Victoria, Leah and Demetri, Jane and Alec, and most of the others. They know their shit, but they're real arrogant know-it-all assholes most of the time."

"That's a good point," he said. "Anyway, she said that after my interview, everybody felt like I'd be a great team lead. She talked to Dave, and he really told her good things about me."

"I love Dave," I said as he laughed.

"Even though I don't have all the experience the developers have," he said, "I know enough about technology, and about our products, to where they can't talk down to me and shit."

"Fucking right," I said, high off the thrill of this impossibly good news.

"Plus, she loved that I have so much technology sales experience," he said. "She said the biggest complaint they get from the sales department is that they don't take real clients into consideration when they design stuff."

"Wow," I said, feeling positively drunk with happiness.

"That's not even the best part," he said, looking like he couldn't believe it himself.

"She said they've been looking for team leads for those two groups for months," he said. "They hired a few people but nobody sticks around because they can't handle the team. So they want me to manage both groups, and they'll up the salary. It's a little over what my base is now."

I rolled off of him, grabbed a pillow and screamed into it until my throat hurt as I kicked my legs and pounded my arms against the sheets.

"I'm so fucking happy for you," I said when I rolled onto my side.

"I can't fucking wait," he said as his eyes shined. "I don't care what those motherfuckers try to do to me, they're not pushing me out of this job."

"Hmm, that sounds familiar," I said as he guffawed.

That, almost verbatim, had been my mantra when I started at ATS. I grabbed him and kissed him until I couldn't breathe anymore.

"So you start Monday?" I asked when I came up for air.

"No," he said. "I'm meeting with her and the other team leads on Monday. She said she talked to Dave and he wants to meet with me to figure out what to do with the leads I'm working on. It might be a few weeks before I actually start."

"I'm so proud of you," I said. "You took a chance and look what happened."

"Thank you," he said with a huge grin that put his dimples on full display. "I'm glad you took that call. I'd have been nervous as hell if I had to call her back. Oh, she said Dave told her I was on vacation, and she said to tell you she's sorry for interrupting it."

"I'll let it slide this time," I said as I climbed back on top of him.

"I know you just got all nice and clean in the shower," I said as I ground my hips against him. "But I think a celebration is in order."

"I like how you think," he replied with a twinkle in his eye and the biggest smile I'd ever seen.

* * *

We celebrated so enthusiastically that we were exhausted on Thursday morning and debated about going on our wildlife expedition.

"If we hadn't already paid, I wouldn't go," New Business said.

"Yeah," I said as I slowly sat up in bed. "But it's in a Jeep, so we'll be riding all day; it's not like we're hiking or something. We really have no excuse."

We actually had a great time, and saw several moose, bison, and elk among other things. They weren't so bad... from the safety of the Jeep. When we returned from the excursion, we called everybody in our families, plus our friends, and told them about Emmett's job. We thought about waiting to tell them, but they'd all been so worried we decided not to. Maggie had burst into tears and we ended up giving Harry all the details because she was so overcome.

After a sumptuous dinner in our room, we spent our last night in Jackson Hole making love unhurriedly on the shag rug in front of the crackling fireplace. We were still there now, lying together, wrapped up in a blanket with our bodies intertwined.

"This week has been the absolute best time of my life," I said as I gazed into those beautiful blue eyes. "This was the perfect anniversary. I loved every second."

"I did too," he replied. "I'll never forget this. No matter how busy we get, we have to take a vacation every year. Just the two of us."

"We will," I said. "We have to come back here sometime. It's so beautiful."

"It's a deal," he said as he placed a tender kiss at the side of my mouth.

"Charlie and Sue are planning a trip here," I said. "They've been loving all the pictures I've been sending them."

"Funny you should mention them," Emmett said nervously as I laughed and shook my head.

"Why? Are they here?" I asked. "Did you fly them in to be our witnesses for a secret wedding?"

"No," he replied with a grin. "But I thought about it. I would've done it too, but there's already been too damn many weddings this year."

"Don't I know it," I said. "So we're agreed we don't want to get married this year, right?"

"Right," he said. "I'm thinking next year, either summer or fall."

"That works for me," I said, very pleased to be discussing my own wedding for once instead of someone else's.

"It really wouldn't be that hard to have a wedding here. You don't need a blood test," he said. "You just need people who know both of you to go with you to get the license."

I leaned back a little and stared at him.

"You want to get married here?" I asked.

He shrugged noncommittally.

"Have you thought about where you want to get married?" he asked.

I sighed. I had given it some thought but had reached no conclusions.

"I'm sure my mom wants us to have it in Phoenix," I said. "But Phoenix just doesn't feel like home to me anymore. Our trip there for my birthday confirmed that."

"What about Seattle?" he asked.

Again, I sighed.

"I guess that's where we'll have it," I said. "It's our home."

"Your heart wasn't really in that," he said with a chuckle. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I guess I just feel like if it's in Seattle, too many people will get involved in the planning," I said. "I'd like to keep it simple. What do you think?"

"I want it simple too, and I want it done our way," he said. "What _would_ you think about having it here? They do weddings."

I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling for a few moments as I collected my thoughts. _A destination wedding._ I had a feeling it would be easier and more straightforward than anything we could plan at home.

"We could pay for rooms for the family so they won't be worried about the money," he said. "I love it here. Who else do we know who would get married here? It would totally be our thing."

"You're right about that," I said. "This is definitely a beautiful setting.

"We could talk to one of their sales reps tomorrow," he said. "I think we should do it."

"I see how you lasted in sales all these years," I said as he laughed. "Okay. I'd like to meet with the sales rep to see what they can do here."

"We'll ask to see one after breakfast tomorrow," New Business said. "They probably have a wedding planner on staff too."

I laughed so loudly that he looked at me like I had three heads.

"I can't make any promises," I said, still chuckling. "But I _think_ I know a wedding planner we can get at a pretty good rate."

"How could I forget," he replied, laughing along with me, as we cuddled together again.

I felt light kisses against my hair and forehead as New Business pulled me even closer.

"A year ago today, I left ATS," he said. "I asked you to meet me down at Jenks' for coffee, and I told you how I felt about you."

"I remember, I was there," I said with a chuckle.

"Quiet, I'm having a moment here," he said.

"Sorry," I said as I leaned back a little so I could see his handsome face.

"I told you how I felt about you, and you told me that you felt the same way," he said. "That was the start of us."

We gazed at each other, as if reliving the day that changed everything.

"Any regrets?" he asked as he grinned at me.

"Not a single one," I replied. "Do you have any?"

"None," he said. "But I do have a request. I want you to stay your same bad-ass self forever."

"I think I can manage that, New Business," I replied. "Or do I have to call you New Product Guy now?"

"Uh, that's a no," he replied as he threw back his head and laughed his rich, deep, booming laugh. The sound reverberated throughout my body sending a chill throughout me as I cuddled up closer to him.

"I'll always answer to New Business," he said, flashing those dimples. "Just for you."

* * *

**A/N:**

**1. Well folks, this is the last regular chapter ;)**

**2. I'll put a picture of the engagement ring in Ch. 18 on the blog. **

**3. Only the Epilogue remains. I hope to have it up soon, but it depends on how cooperative Madam Bad-Ass and New Business decide to be :) **

**As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think! **


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